


Z3R0

by I_Dont_Like_I_Obsess



Category: Watch Dogs (Video Games)
Genre: Action, Drama, Explicit Language, F/M, Fanfiction, Hacking, Original Character(s), Romance, Violence, Watch Dogs 2, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 21:08:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 41
Words: 227,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14387157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Dont_Like_I_Obsess/pseuds/I_Dont_Like_I_Obsess
Summary: Yes, investigative journalist Riley Clarke had heard of DedSec. Who hasn't? The rogue hacker group had been making headlines for weeks now. But what others considered a potential threat, Riley saw as the resources she'd need to bring down big corporations like Blume. Of course this job came with risks, but joining up with DedSec may be more than she ever bargained for...Wrench x OC





	1. Chapter 1

_"New Dawn is a criminal organization designed to intimidate its own members into destroying their own lives and handing over their savings. But don't take our word for it. We have a celebrity guest."_

A few of Riley's coworkers muttered, watching as the very recognizable Jimmy Siska flashed on the screen, his voice synthesized over.

 _"_ _Hello, I'm Jimmy Siska. You probably remember me from a bunch of good movies I made before I was brainwashed by New Dawn and forced to toe the company line. When friends of mine questioned the Church's cruel practices, they disappeared. When I questioned_ that _, I was taken against my will and locked away."_

Riley tried reading Jimmy's lips, seeing if he was, in fact, saying these things or if this was a clever audio clip attached to a video of him speaking. However, the brunette could see no discrepancies between the two, and came to the conclusion that this was genuine footage. A quick glance at the others lead her to see most were skeptical of its authenticity, but some believed it as well.

_"_ _Know that the police are already investigating my claims. And what is the church all about? What's behind door #5? I'll let my friends in DedSec demonstrate."_

Her brows rose sharply at the video that followed, watching as the 'stone tablets' the church had boasted about broke apart much easier than any normal rock should. They barely even made a sound as they hit the ground, no doubt made of some softer material than rock. Before she could think any more on it, the screen flashed back to the familiar skull-masked figure in a hoodie.

_"_ _DedSec has given you the truth. Do what you will."_

Their signature sign-off was followed by a glitching version of their logo: a skeleton in a hoodie. The youtube video ended abruptly, and the few coworkers that were huddled around Riley's phone stood straighter and stepped away to give her space.

"Man, that's crazy stuff. But I always had a hunch that church was phony. Kind of like Scientology." One of them said, sipping away at her coffee. The others mumbled agreement or nodded. One or two wandered back to their desks, their break over. Riley watched the faces of those around her, wondering what they really thought about the hacker group that had been the main topic of discussion as of late.

"You really believe this crap?" Dan, her cubicle neighbor, gesture towards her phone with a scoff. "Tch, DedSec is just a bunch of nosey assholes with good computer skills. They're digging up dirt where they want their political agenda to go, and slap the company with a bad rep in the process."

"But they've done this before with other big names," Another red-headed woman argued, leaning against the wall to chat. "and all the previous ones have turned out to be true."

Dan narrowed his eyes. "Sounds like you support what these guys are doing. You really want some rogue hacker group snooping through your personal information to use for their own sick revenge quest?"

The woman squirmed in place a bit, eyes scanning the floor. No one wanted to be accused of supporting them. It could be a career-ruining decision. "Not really…"

"Exactly." He said. Dan nodded, satisfied that he'd won that small debate soundly, before turning and heading back to his cubicle. Riley watched him go, noticing the others were also beginning to disperse.

Her wristwatch indicated she only had a few more minutes left on her break, and so Riley sighed, standing reluctantly and heading off towards her own small sanctioned cubicle in the corner of the room.

The sound of tapping keys and quiet telephone calls surrounded her as she passed other cubicles. A few of the other workers were lounging around on their phones, or sitting on yoga balls as part of the company's initiative to 'get fit.' She honestly just thought it made people look ridiculous and increased the chance of people falling flat on their asses.

Riley enjoyed having her cubicle in the corner, away from the majority of the people in the office. She'd always felt uncomfortable not having the wall at her back with large amounts of people in the room, and work was no exception. She reached her cubicle and sat in her rolling chair, spinning to face her computer screen. The list of accounts she had to call back on was still active on the screen. It was a longer list than she'd prefer, but it had to be done.

Riley let just a small sigh escape her lips, before she put on her headset and began tapping away at her keyboard. However, while replying to emails, her mind kept working over the newest video the hacker group had posted.

DedSec was a household name in San Fransisco. Everyone and their mother had heard of them, seen them on the news, or felt the effects of their actions. From what Riley could discern, they had always sort of been around, leaving graffiti and hacking local businesses to fix small injustices in the beginning, but it wasn't until a few months ago that they began really gaining traction and followers around the city. The exponential growth was startling, and Riley had a hunch there was either new leadership within the group taking it into a new direction, or something fundamental had changed within the philosophy of its mission.

Personally, she agreed with the message they were trying to send. All too often, Riley had seen corporate injustice screw over the little guy, the common man, simply for financial gain or boosting someone else's reputation. It was sickening to her, really. Was everyone in the top 1% a pompous asshole only looking out for himself? Probably not, but the sheer amount of offenders was astounding to say the least, and didn't make her hold out hope.

New Dawn was their latest target. The church had sprung up quickly and gained a massive, high-profile following, which had immediately sent warning bells in Riley's head. Her _real_ job as an investigative journalist made her want to look into the whispered rumors that not all was well within the church itself, but her assignment drove her elsewhere. At least, so she'd thought. It seemed everything was interconnected, as DedSec had proved, so her assignment might not be so simple after all.

Not a lot was known about the group, only that they seemed to be on the white hat spectrum of hackers, which was a good thing. At least they weren't out for a personal agenda like some had a tendency to do, rather they made it their mission to give the power back to the people. Riley admired that. You didn't see too many selfless people like that anymore. She'd also heard the word 'misfit' thrown around about them, but one could never know for sure.

"Hey!" Dan popped his head around the corner of her cubicle, startling Riley enough to have her flinching in her seat. She placed a hand on her chest to stop the rapid beating of her heart, letting out a long breath.

"Shit!" She hissed quietly to herself, glad that there wasn't a customer on the line with her at the time. That would have gotten her into serious trouble. Her eyes sought his sharply. "Dammit, Dan. I've told you to stop that."

The unapologetic pretty-boy grinned easily, waving her concern aside. "Ah, you make it too easy, that's all."

Riley let out an exasperated sigh, turning back towards her screen to make it clear she wasn't in the mood to talk. "What is it you need?"

"I wanted to ask if you were free this Friday?"

"Dan-"

"I saw we both had the day off on the schedule, and I was thinking: You. Me. That Italian restaurant that opened up last week?" He interrupted hopefully. Her fingers, which had been tapping away to reply to an email paused, and Riley tried hard not to let her eye roll show too obviously. She looked back at him with as much restraint as she could manage.

" _Look_ , Dan. I get that you're interested, but I'm not currently looking for a relationship, ok? It's nothing personal, but I'm really not in the mindset to have a significant other. I've got other things that take priority."

Just like the last time he'd asked, Dan gave a totally understanding nod, unperturbed by the uneasiness in her eyes. "No problem, you take all the time you need. Just know I'll be here whenever you are looking for companionship."

Dan might have thought that sounded reassuring or something, but it honestly just gave Riley mental images of him lurking around every corner, waiting to pounce the moment she showed any sign of saying yes. It gave her a shiver down her spine.

He shot her finger guns with a click, then rolled back towards his own cubicle. As soon as he disappeared, she looked up to the ceiling and shook her head slowly. A sudden, inexplicable headache began to form, and her fingers rubbed slow circles in the skin above her eyes.

Actually, she'd lied to him. Riley was open to finding companionship with someone. As long as it wasn't Dan. Something about him just rubbed her the wrong way, especially with how arrogant he was about asking her out. As if he expected her to eventually cater to his wishes and go on that date. As if she had no other choice. Not only that, but the guy was persistent in a way that made it difficult to be mad at him. He took no for an answer gracefully each time, and never accused. But Riley was tired of turning him down, tired of being asked when it was obvious they would never get together. It was irritating as all hell.

God, just thinking about her cubicle neighbor was raising her blood pressure.

"Just 2 more hours…" The brunette muttered to herself with a slow blink. "2. More. Hours."

* * *

The drive to her apartment wasn't any different than usual. A few other drivers cut her off in the fast lane, and she'd had to honk angrily at them. Which of course went ignored. Riley cursed at them liberally until they were out of her sight. After that, she nearly missed her exit because no one would let her merge into the lane.

By the time she even made it to her actual doorstep, Riley's stress levels had doubled from the commute alone. It was with great relief that the keys successfully opened the lock on her door, letting her inside.

"Pants, where are you buddy?" She called out, kicking off her shoes somewhere off to the side. They thumped against the wall one by one. Her bag was placed haphazardly on the kitchen counter, and Riley heard the tell-tale, tiny thumping of her cat's paws running along the wood floor to greet her.

Pants rounded the corner, looking bright and alert. The white-and-black cat stared up at her with blue eyes, meowing excitedly. Wishful thinking had her believing he was actually glad to see her, but she scoffed at the thought.

"You're only excited to eat my food, right?" She questioned, but Pants didn't respond, pacing around her legs and looking up at her hopefully. He meowed again. "Alright, alright, let's feed you so you stop hounding me."

It was a daily routine: Riley would come home and feed Pants, then change into pajamas before cooking her own meal. This usually consisted of restaurant leftovers or frozen boxed entrees. Her eating habits left something to be desired, but with the amount of stress she underwent because of her assignment, so far she'd avoided gaining any weight. Thank god.

The fridge contained the cans of his wet cat food. One was already half open from the night before, so Riley pulled it out and reached for his food bowl. Presumptuously, Pants leaped onto the kitchen counter to eat.

"No! You know the rules. Off the counter." She scolded, grabbing him around the middle and setting him back down on the floor. She straightened and continued preparing his bowl. The angry meows were easy to ignore after plenty of practice.

Riley mashed up the wet food to make it easier for him to eat, stirring it afterwards with a fork to break up the chunks. Tapping the fork to rid it of excess bits, she grabbed the bowl and placed it on the floor.

Pants perked up and shoved his face into the bowl the moment he could reach, immediately eating generous amounts.

"Honestly, you're more like a pig than a cat." Riley muttered with a low chuckle.

Leaving him to his food, she grabbed her bag again and retreated to her bedroom. As soon as she opened the door, the sight of the piles of rumpled clothing reminded her she hadn't finished laundry. Just another chore to complete that night. It could wait until later.

Her bag was hung up on the peg behind the door, and she started stripping off her work clothing into something more comfortable. She threw on her San Diego Comic Con shirt, which had faded beyond easy recognition, and a pair of workout shorts that had never actually been to a gym. Her socks were torn off and thrown into the hamper that stood overflowing in the corner. She'd do it later.

The bathroom was a much cleaner space. Riley prided herself on keeping clean, and it was only on days like these when she procrastinated laundry in particular that her bedroom became a mess. She grabbed the brush from her drawer and began the process of untangling the brown bush atop her head. Even after being tied up in a ponytail, it still somehow ended up a mess at the end of the day, no exceptions.

All the while, she stared at her reflection and grimaced at her face. Makeup had yet to be revolutionized to not turn greasy on your face, and she couldn't wait for the day when her skin wouldn't look slicked up with oil at the end of an eight hour shift. Putting the brush down, she poked at an emerging zit on her nose, glaring in the hope that it would shrivel up at her anger alone. It was doomed to fail, so she gave up and wandered back into the kitchen to find her own dinner.

Pants was still in the process of chowing down, and paid her no mind when she entered. Out of the blue, Riley wondered what would happen to the white cat if Riley were to die suddenly. Would he evolve to open the fridge himself? Would he even care? Could cats even cry? She wasn't sure. Or would he escape and find a new owner who could provide for him? She scoffed, figuring he felt no loyalty towards her whatsoever.

"Traitorous cat." She said, electing to ignore the fact that he was ignoring her. Hmph.

Within 4 and a half minutes according to the instructions on the back, Riley had a 'gourmet' microwaved dinner steaming and ready to eat. Well, it was gourmet if gourmet meant at least edible. Carrying her steaming plastic box to the bedroom, she plopped herself down in the chair at her desk.

The only one thing in the room Riley could never manage to keep entirely organized. She honestly hated the state of her desk; her laptop took front and center, but surrounding it were binders of paper and information she'd had to keep track of and document, sticky notes that the brunette honestly didn't know if she could understand anymore—they were rather vague and nondescript—and her camera teetered precariously on the edge of the desk.

She settled herself in for a long night of boring reading and note-taking, setting the audio recorder she'd brought with her to work on the desk. Riley pulled up the word document she'd been working on for months, and pressed the play button.

The microphone she'd managed to plant in her manager's office months ago was high quality, and thankfully eliminated most of the background noise associated with an office. However, she could still hear the door opening as she walked into work that morning. It slammed shut a moment later.

Investigative journalism definitely had it's perks. Riley enjoyed the thought of bringing unjust companies and businessmen to their knees, crucifying them in the public eye so the world could pass judgement on their crimes. It was satisfying knowing she could expose so much injustice with this job. Health benefits, a Christmas bonus, and depending on the assignment, it could be perfect for slight adrenaline junkies like her. But…

Riley closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, hearing the tap of keyboard buttons over the mic. So far there hadn't been any conversation.

The actual investigation part was a slog. Hours of inactivity and sifting through blank noise or useless information to find that precious scandalous data. It was mind-numbing at best. Sleep-inducing at worst.

While waiting for something to be said, she pulled up her coding program then dug through the various sticky notes to find the security camera access codes she'd procured from one of the guards. She shivered, remembering the guy's roaming eyes on her. Getting this info had been neither easy nor fun.

She typed in the access codes and watched with satisfaction as the security feed to the manager's office pulled up. Riley piggybacked onto the company's actual security system to be able to fast forward and pause the feed when she wanted. Sitting back, she kicked up her feet and tried to focus on the work at hand. It was already dark outside, and she wanted to sleep, but the possible information buried was definitely worth it.

* * *

Hands pausing over the keys of his computer, Josh's eyes swept right when a small 'ping' reached his ears. A small notification window appeared in the corner of his screen. / _System Intrusion—External Device—*Unknown User*._ Brow furrowing, he navigated over to inspect the element. Fingers flying, he quickly deciphered the coding associated with the alert. ProviBlue.

"Weird." He murmured. Someone was intruding on ProviBlue systems. Someone they didn't recognize the hacker tag for. DedSec liked to keep tabs on other hack attempts into the businesses they were targeting, in order to keep current with other groups' activities. Seems that precaution was paying off.

Within seconds, Josh had tracked the hack through back channels, following the inserted code from this unknown intruder. He hadn't alerted the rest of the group, most of which were partying and watching movies on their large tv screens behind him, simply because there wasn't anything dangerous to yet report. So far, this just appeared to be a hack into ProviBlue for information. The security systems by the looks of the coding. Nothing more, and technically DedSec hadn't yet publicly gone after them yet, so it could be nothing.

He brought up the window of what the hacker was looking for: a video feed of some office. The woman it belonged to looked important enough to no doubt warrant the invasion of privacy, but Josh wondered just who was watching and why. If it was Prime_Eight, Sitara would want to know for sure. She hated them more than any other group out there, and avoiding a run-in with them was at the top of her to-do list.

The code didn't match what he knew of their style, though. Odd. Backing out of the video feed, he attempted working around the coding to track the source of the hack, gathering GPS data. As far as he could tell, it was coming from the center of San Fransisco, within a ten mile radius of ProviBlue itself.

There weren't any video or image feeds he could tap to try getting an image of the intruder. Whatever device the hacker was using, it either didn't possess a webcam, or the individual had already disabled it. "Smart." Josh said to himself. While he didn't know who this person was, he could certainly still recognize that they knew what they were doing.

Whoever they were, they had taken the necessary precautions to mask their identity. Definitely another experienced hacker. After several minutes of searching through the code and identifying information, all he could track was the general location and a hacker tag: Z3R0.

Not much to go on. He hadn't heard of Z3R0 before. They must not be active very often, or didn't expose themselves frequently enough to become well known. Either way, Josh was always curious and nervous about hackers he knew nothing about. They could be a potential threat in the making, but he had no way of knowing at this point.

Josh wrote some quick coding to track Z3R0's future activities through their system, hoping that if they popped up again, he could find them later. Perhaps he was being overly cautious about this—it could be anyone looking into ProviBlue's security cameras—but it was better to be prepared for anything than not to be prepared at all.

"Yo Josh, get your ass over here! You're missing the best part!" Marcus called, and Josh looked back over his shoulder at his friends. Returning his gaze to his computer, he backed out of the tracking feed for Z3R0 and stood from his chair. He could worry about it later.


	2. Meet Me Halfway

For as much work and effort Riley put into watching the security tapes and taking extensive notes on everything her manager said during the previous day, no noteworthy information came from it. Everything was strictly proper business; setting up meetings with other CEO's to discuss policy change, arranging for her daughter to be taken to daycare the next morning, and other boring and non-incriminating things like that. It made for an extra mind-numbing session of review the night previous.

A very tired-eyed Riley walked into work the next day, wondering how she was going to speed this investigation along. It had been several months already, and she was still miles away from reaching a point where she'd have enough evidence to expose or indict any of the companies on her list. Even ProviBlue, where she was stationed and closest to, was no closer to being exposed as corrupt than the day she started. Of course, there were a few day-to-day transgressions that she'd uncovered, but nothing that would help bring to light the negative public reputation she was hoping for. The usual slog of security feeds and audio recordings didn't appear to be enough.

The brunette plopped down into her chair and sat there for several moments, too tired to do anything else besides stare at her computer screen with squinted eyes. Her mind felt foggy and slow. After a slow blink and a long stretch of her back, she sighed and hung her bag on the peg beside the entrance of her cubicle. She had a long day ahead of her.

Booting up her computer always took awhile, and she took the time trying to figure out what her next step could possibly be. She couldn't do this every day for another 6 months, honestly. It was wearing her out. The long day-shifts and even longer nights were taxing and beginning to show. However, she wasn't sure what else to do. Her hacking skills were good, but not good enough to break into some of the best software security in the country.

Not to mention, once she attempted directly hacking into the systems, her investigation could be put in jeopardy. Riley had tried toeing the edge of the law as delicately as possible, knowing that once she crossed it there wasn't any turning back. Gathering information by herself, while also dodging the police, wouldn't be easy.

She wasn't scared of going against the law to find the information she needed, but Riley knew diving in without thinking about the consequences would surely have her either arrested or eventually exposed, and that would throw a kink in her entire operation.

Her screen finally loaded, and she opened up the various programs and tabs she'd need to get through her workday. The headset she used for calling was swiped from it's charging port and fit snugly onto her head, fitting into place neatly.

Small thumps and a tired yawn in the cubicle beside her alerted Riley that Dan had arrived to work as well. Her already tired and less-than-stellar mood then tanked exponentially. She hoped her usual rejection of his advances the day before would stave him off for the time being. She couldn't guarantee she wouldn't snap completely and yell at him to knock it off this time.

Thankfully, Dan seemed to not be a morning person either, because he didn't attempt talking to her. He walked off down the hallway, perhaps looking for a cup of coffee to wake up for the day. Riley let out a breath, calming herself. _Easy now,_ she thought to herself. _No need to take out all your frustration on your coworkers. Just chill._

The brunette logged into the multiple programs she would use that day, then sat back to wait for the calls to begin coming in. There were still several accounts that needed to be called, some left over from the day before that she didn't finish, but she was confident that she could still do it if she procrastinated by an hour or so. No worries.

Closing her eyes and leaning back in the chair, Riley thought over her problem again. The security cameras and recordings were a no-go. There wasn't anything to be found there. She was fairly certain that avenue had been exhausted, perhaps much longer ago than she had really been willing to admit, blinded by the desire to find something, _anything._

The brunette was becoming more and more convinced that if she were going to find the sort of dirt she was looking for, she'd have to stoop a little lower. Maybe it was time to start doing things the nefarious way. There'd probably still be all-nighters gathering information, but hopefully it wouldn't be quite as soul-sucking as it was now.

The only question was where to start.

Riley was getting restless, opening her eyes to realize she'd been bouncing her left leg up and down in nervous tension. Her wireless headphone hung around her neck, and she plugged one earplug in, pulling out her phone to put on some music to calm her down.

Tapping a few things, she pulled up Youtube. The first page it came to was the DedSec video from the day previous. Her eyes traced over the DedSec logo, grinning skull and all. They were such a mysterious group, and she wondered just who they were. What sort of people were they like? Was this something they just did on the side? How invested were they in spreading the message they wanted to? Were they actually as selfless as they were making themselves out to be, or did they still have an ulterior motive that had yet to surface?

So many questions Riley didn't know the answer to, but the more she couldn't help but wonder about them, the more the gears in her head began turning.

Maybe…just maybe—no, that was such a long shot. Why would they ever consider it? Well, if they were both after the same targets…but could she trust them? Would they trust her? There was a lot Riley didn't know about them. But was her assignment worth the risk? The journalist wasn't exactly afraid, but the sheer mystery behind the group made her hesitate.

Riley pulled her laptop out of her bag hanging on the wall, opening the screen up and typing her password in. She looked behind her at the entrance to her cubicle. No one was walking by. Another plus to having the corner space, not many people ventured this way, leaving her basically to herself.

She pulled up the Nudle homepage, and typed 'DedSec' into the search bar. Predictably, a majority of the sites that pulled up were news and blog articles. She only did a precursory browse through the news organizations' pages, knowing they wouldn't have the information she was looking for.

Next came the variously dotted blog pages, which were more for discussion about whether DedSec was actually the movement they said they were. A few were dedicated to trying to figure out the identities of the people in charge. One even predicted that by the end of DedSec's reign over San Fransisco, the world would end. Huh.

Several Nudle pages later, and she still didn't find any sort of lead. Riley rested her fingers against the keyboard, blowing out air through her mouth slowly. The regular internet held nothing for her, but perhaps the lesser known side would have what she was looking for.

She did another glance around, before connecting to another Wifi from the building next door. Cracking Wifi's weren't that hard, thankfully, and the next moment she was opening up Tor on her laptop.

Ten minutes of searching produced nothing, and finally she gave up, shutting the laptop and pushing away from her. Slumped in the chair, she sat there and swiveled in the chair slowly back and forth, wondering what to do now. Surely there was a way to contact them?

Another idea formed, and she reopened the laptop. Exiting out of the deep web, she hopped onto an anonymous chat room that Riley knew hackers frequently used to communicate between each other. It was a long shot to think DedSec themselves would be on it, but perhaps she could at least get the word out that she was looking to speak to them.

An input box came up, asking what she'd like her username to be. Instinctively, she typed 'Z3R0,' her hacker handle. She may not be that well known, but perhaps someone would at least recognize that she wasn't a black hat up to no good.

The chat site welcomed her, and she typed a quick hello into the chat window. A few people responded, all with variously diverse and strange names. They were courteous, which was miles ahead of what she had expected.

_Z3R0: Is this a location-specific server?_

_TheCarrotMan: Yeah, it's dedicated to northern California, mostly right up against the coast._

_Gl1tchB1tch: yep_

_ItsYaBoi: There'd be way too many people if it was a public server, bro._

_Z3R0: Awesome. I'm hoping one of you could help me out with something then. Anyone in the San Fransisco area?_

_TheCarrotMan: Sorry, I'm north by about 75 miles._

_One2Three: you know, it's kind of common sense not to tell anyone where you are located. hackers like anonymity._

_Acid Tr1p: what do you have in mind?_

_HarambeWasInnocent: SF, huh? and with what?_

_Z3R0: I'm looking to get in contact with DedSec._

Riley waited, then frowned. The responses before were quick and friendly, but now the chatroom went silent. Five minutes, then ten minutes went by. Pursing her lips, she typed out another chat.

_Z3R0: I'll take that as a no?_

The way they were ignoring her question made her feel like a pariah. Was DedSec that much of a taboo? Were they disliked by the hacker community? She hadn't been aware. Popping her fingers, she waited another few minutes before giving up, exiting out of the chat site and returning her gaze to her work computer. She had calls to make anyway.

* * *

 

_*HarambeWasInnocent has joined the chatroom. Please remember that this is a SECURE CHANNEL. Be mindful of who you give access to.*_

_LordBarren: Yo, harambe, haven't seen you around for awhile._

_L33T: what's going on bro?_

_HarambeWasInnocent: Not much. I'm actually looking for Snickerdoodle. Is she here?_

_Snickerdoodle: Yeah, whatcha need?_

_Kam1kaz3: she's here._

_HarambeWasInnocent: Just left another chatroom. Someone joined and started asking about DedSec. Said they wanted to get in contact._

_L33T: oh shit. who was it?_

_Snickerdoodle: What was their hacker tag?_

_HarambeWasInnocent: Z3R0. Have you heard of them?_

_Snickerdoodle: No, it's not familiar. Could be some other group trying to infiltrate? Don't know for sure._

_TheDrIsIn: that name sounds really familiar actually…can't place it though_

_LordBarren: any idea if they are black or white hat?_

_TheDrIsIn: pretty sure they are white hat. if they weren't I probably would have remembered more about them. hate those fuckers that only do this for themselves. i make it a point to know their names and never associate with them._

_Snickerdoodle: Anything else you remember? I'll pass this on._

_TheDrIsIn: not really. i wouldn't take chances nowadays though._

_HarambeWasInnocent: Well, I'm out. Have things to do._

_L33T: see ya, bro_

_LordBarren: at the same time, DedSec needs all the help it can get. Maybe they'll be a good resource, maybe not. We won't know until they say what they're after though._

_*HarambeWasInnocent has left the chatroom*_

* * *

Josh was glad he'd put the trace on Z3R0's movements, because the very next day he started seeing a pattern of search results for DedSec in their history. The notification of Z3R0's search history was all about them. That in of itself wasn't too surprising, he supposed. They were a well-known name in the area. Perhaps they were only doing some research into the other groups around here. At the same time they could be looking to sabotage their operation, and that was something Josh wouldn't allow.

From what he could see, all they were able to find were mostly news stories about their previous exploits. The only problem was that Josh wasn't so sure what exactly they wanted with DedSec. The intentions were what mattered most to him. And he couldn't be sure of what Z3R0's were.

His phone lit up, and he saw it was a message from one of their informants. Snickerdoodle.

_You've got someone by the name of Z3R0 in chatrooms asking how to get in contact with DedSec. I asked around but no one really knows all that much about them. Assumed to be white hat. Let me know if you need me to do anything._

Josh frowned, and decided then that this was a matter for the whole group to know and discuss. Up to that point, this Z3R0 person hadn't been a notable threat. Now, however, Josh wasn't so sure.

"Hey guys?" He called, eyes glued to the screen of his computer as he started searching again for any sort of webcam or security camera he could get a visual on this person with. "We got a tip from one of our people. Someone's been trying to get in contact with us."

"Really?" Sitara sounded more impressed than concerned, meandering closer with the rest of the group towards Josh's workstation. "Sounds like DedSec's name is starting to spread further."

"Any idea who it is?" Wrench asked through the robotic filter of his, placing his hands on the back of Josh's chair annoyingly. However, he didn't say anything about it. It was a waste of breath anyway.

"No, just the hackertag. Z3R0. They seem to be pretty obscure." He said, typing away at code and tracking the many channels of surveillance he could think of. Thankfully, the person's location was better suited for tracing now than previously, and he was able to lock onto a good signal this time.

"I guess the main question is, what do they want to talk about?" Marcus input, taking up a thoughtful expression. "Sure, it means our brand is expanding, but with the way we're taking off, any number of people could be looking to take us down from the inside."

"Yeah, I mean those FBI fucks are always trying new ways to get into hacker groups anonymously. This might end up fucking us over." Wrench agreed. Of course, he wasn't all that trusting of anyone new. This suspicion from him wasn't surprising.

The group went quiet as Josh was able to find a camera within the general vicinity of the individual. He trained it on a cubicle inside of ProviBlue itself. A brunette woman tapping away at a computer, headset and all, with a closed laptop sitting on the desk beside her.

"You sure that's her?" Sitara asked, and Josh nodded slowly.

"I traced the manufacturer's codes of the device used, then compared it to the laptop. They match. It's her."

"Huh. Certainly doesn't _look_ like she's up to anything dastardly." Marcus said casually, more and more intrigued by this person. "Might be worth it to see what she wants."

Wrench crossed his arms and stood defensively, the eyes on his mask turning into asterisks. "Mmm, I don't buy it man. The attractive ones are always the most likely to betray you, spit in your face, back stab you, and cheat on you with another man who is three times her age."

The group went quiet, turning to look at him with weirded-out expressions. An awkward silence persisted for several moments.

"Uh, got something you want to say, Wrench?" Marcus asked reluctantly. Wrench's eyes turned into three dots.

"Nope." Was his short reply, pretending like nothing had come out of his mouth in the first place.

"Alright then." Marcus nodded, turning his attention back to the computer screen. The group watched as Josh hacked into her actual workstation webcam, giving them a clear view of her face. She was speaking, no doubt to someone on the headset, and tapping away at the keys quickly.

Her hazel eyes flickered back and forth across the screen, brown hair framing her face. Certainly not the face of someone trying to wish them ill, right? Marcus' eyes wandered over to the wall decorated with Horatio's pictures. They all knew the risks, and this could be yet another risk. Hopefully it wouldn't end like that time, but the hacker had a feeling this one would be different.

Sitara sighed, cocking her hip and shrugging. "Well, what do you think? Should we meet her?"

"Might be worth checking it out." Marcus offered. "We could use any resource we can get our hands on, and maybe they'll be of help. Besides, I've got a good feeling about her."

"You have a good feeling about everybody." Wrench pointed out, and barely dodged the punch that was aimed at his shoulder. "Whatever. I'm not convinced, but if the rest of you are onboard, hey, what the hell?"

"Sounds like a plan. Josh," Marcus turned back to the green-hooded hacker, "get us as much info on her as you can. I'll set up a meeting."

Josh nodded, and the rest dispersed from his workstation, giving him the space he wanted. They were family, but sometimes they crowded him. He stared at the woman's face for a few more moments, wondering what she was like, before exiting the feed and tapping into the workstation for her profile information.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Riley's phone buzzed in her back pocket. She registered it, but ignored it for the time being to finish up the loan application with her customer.

"Yes, I'll forward you a copy of this application so you have a reference. You should receive a call by the end of the week as to the status of your loan, ok? Thank you, you too. Buh-bye." With a click, the phone disconnected and her headset went silent. Typing a few last-minutes notes onto the form, she submitted it to the review department and sat back.

She dug out the phone from her back pocket, pulling up her messages. Frowning, she noticed it wasn't a number she recognized. She opened up the message.

_If you are looking for DedSec, go to Port C on the pier at 9:00 pm. Go alone._

Her eyebrows shot up, and she typed out a quick response.

_Who is this?_

Even after several minutes there was no reply, so she put away her phone, slightly stunned. This was an unexpected turn of events, but at least she had established contact. That was the first step, she just had to plea her case and hope they accepted it.

* * *

 

"So, what do you have on our inquirer?" Sitara asked Josh that evening, leaning against his desk and watching his computer screen. She brushed her purple ponytail away from her face. "Anything that could tell us what she wants with us?"

"Nothing like that." He shook his head negative. "But I did find out more about her personally."

"Awesome, let's take a look." Sitara gestured for him to continue, and he pulled up the tabs that he'd been searching to show the others. Marcus overheard and wandered over. Wrench was busy pulling apart some electronic or other.

"Her name is Riley Clarke. She works for ProviBlue during the days, but I suspect that's just a front." Josh explained, showing the profile page for a news publication located south of San Fransisco. Marcus peered closer to see the specifics.

"She's a news reporter?"

"More like an investigative journalist." He tapped a few other keys and brought up a facebook page. "She separates work from her personal life, so there's not much to go off of other than her employment profile there. It's still listed as current, though."

"What else did you find?" Sitara asked.

"Age 23, 5'6 and 165 pounds. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Registered as an organ donor. She lives alone in the middle of San Fransisco. Owns one cat. Drives a 2014 Mazda 6."

Marcus rested a hand on his chin. "Any family?"

"Yes and no. Her mother is still alive, but lives in Brooklyn. From what I can see, she's a drug addict and works minimum wage at a call center. Her father died from apparent suicide about 7 years ago."

"Damn. Any idea why?" Sitara pulled a face that was obviously a mix of pity and feeling as though they'd discovered too much information.

"Unclear. All I could find was the autopsy report and a death certificate."

"Hmm…anything else that might be useful to know going in?" Marcus asked, adjusting his bag on his shoulder, preparing to head out.

Josh tapped away at his computer for a few moments, before pulling up her ctOS profile next. His eyes scanned the page. "She's a registered gun owner. Be careful."

"Huh, well it's a good thing I am too." He nodded nonchalantly, unconcerned about it. She didn't look the type to go in guns first. This would probably be a walk in the park.

* * *

 

Riley kept internally telling herself that everything would be fine, that this was just a quick meet and nothing more, but that didn't stop her from glancing around her at the dark shadows between the cargo containers on the dock. The gulls flew overhead and squawked occasionally, which was comforting, but the creak of the pier made her jump at each sound.

There was a bench underneath a lamp post further ahead, and she walked a little faster to reach it. She wasn't sure if this is exactly where they wanted her to meet them at Port C, but she was at least in the correct general location. Besides, this was DedSec. They probably already had eyes on her the very moment she drove up to the place.

She smoothed her shirt down, taking slow breaths to hide her nerves. It wouldn't do look so nervous. There was still a bit of negotiation to do, and that required some semblance of a poker face. Looking left and right confirmed that no one else was around. Looks like even the pier workers had all gone home, or there weren't any evening shipments expected. Perhaps DedSec knew that. Or it could be a coincidence. Unlikely. Was it to ensure privacy? Or leave no witnesses should something happen?

Riley took off her bag and set it on the seat beside her, rummaging through it for her audio recorder to make sure it was still rolling. Her earpiece was also in her ear. It wasn't connected to anything, but it was powered on. She'd forgotten to take it out earlier. At least her hair covered it up.

Closing her eyes, Riley thought about all the corruption she could expose with their help. All those injustices shown to the world, the thought was sobering and calming. Her nerves slowly died away, the sense of responsibility and determination to complete her assignment setting her mind at ease. This was simply a business proposal. Nothing more. There was nothing to be nervous about, especially if they both shared a similar goal.

A noise pierced the edge of her hearing. Some type of whirring or…mechanical sound. Opening her eyes, she glanced left and right, trying to identify where it was coming from. Though it sounded far away, it was growing closer.

Riley instinctively reached for the gun holstered to the back of her belt, comforted by the weight and familiarity. She hadn't yet had a reason to really shoot it, but she'd practiced enough in the range to be confident in her aim.

Something moving off from the left caught her eye, and she squinted to try seeing it clearer. It was small, kept low to the ground, and finally it came into view under the light. It was a small, RC car with large wheels. Riley stood, peering down at it curiously.

It came to a stop in front of her, unmoving, and she knelt to inspect it. There appeared to be a few modifications to the design, with a small camera attached to the front, and a retractable claw at the back. She smiled, thinking it was a bit ingenious.

It beeped a few times, and suddenly, she felt the phone in her back pocket vibrate, making her jump from fright. She pulled it out to see that it had been shut off. A small beep emanated from her backpack and earpiece as well, leading her to believe all of her electronics had been hacked and turned off.

"Shit." She muttered before being able to stop it, taking a step back in case it would actually do her physical harm this time. She reached behind her to touch the gun at her waist, but footsteps in the darkness made her pause.

"Woah, woah! No need to pull that out We're just here to have a conversation." A male voice said. She saw a shadow approach, then step into the light of the lamp post. It was a black man, a bandana covering his face. She wouldn't be able to identify him that way. He was dressed in modern clothing, one of those trendy snapback hats, and a messenger bag slung across his back.

Riley took her time inspecting him, trying to judge if he was armed. He held both of his hands up, but one was carrying a cell phone. No doubt that was what controlled the little RC car. He noticed her silence and shrugged in apology. "Right. Sorry about the phone and bluetooth piece. Gotta take precautions nowadays, you know?"

"Yeah…" She agreed halfheartedly, nodding slowly. She found her voice again and stood a little straighter, taking her hand off of the gun. "Are you with DedSec?"

The man stood and crossed his arms, eyes narrowing underneath the brim of the hat. "What I want to know is exactly who you are and who you work for."

Riley knew for certain this had to be DedSec. Who else would it be? But she wasn't sure if this was just a grunt or someone significant in the organization. Riley's status as an investigative journalist was worth keeping secret. Unless she knew this person was trustworthy, she was hesitant to start spilling all of her secrets.

"I'm not inclined to say. I have a cover to keep." She admitted truthfully, thinking that at least being honest up to a point may be helpful. However, he only shook his head and turned the direction he'd come.

She was losing this opportunity. "No, wait!" She cried out, taking a step forward to stop him. He did, turning to look back at her. Sighing heavily, and deciding that she was past the point of backing out, Riley went back to her bag that sat on the bench and dug out her media badge.

"My name is Riley. I'm an investigative journalist with Tri-Valley Herald. I'm on assignment in San Fransisco right now." She gave him the badge to look at, and he rejoined her under the light.

He silently took the offered badge and inspected it over. Using his phone, he no doubt took a picture of it. Riley had to stop herself from ripping it from his fingers, but let it be. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, but she showed no other discomfort at the action.

After several seconds, he nodded and handed the badge back to her. She returned it to it's place and faced him again. His stance relaxed a bit, which gave her hope.

"Alright, Riley. I believe you are who you say you are. But what exactly does an investigative journalist want with a hacker group?"

Without thinking, she looked behind her for anyone that might be listening, then felt ridiculous for doing so. Shaking her head, she continued. "My assignment is to expose corruption within the biggest-name corporations in San Fransisco, most financial transgressions, but at this point anything will do. I've been working this for a few months but haven't come up with anything significant.

"I want access to the data you guys have gathered on those corporations. I know DedSec has a similar goal. We both want the same thing, to take down these big corporations that prey on the everyday citizens." She gestured with her hands to the city, the passion beginning to drive her nerves out the window and introducing the desire to convince him of her idea. "I'm tired of the undeserving taking what they want and exploiting individual after individual to get it."

"You're preaching to the choir, Riley." He said with a small chuckle, raising a hand to stop her tirade before it really got going. "And it's all well and good that you want to help the problem, but what's in it for DedSec? This proposal is sounding very one-sided at the moment."

"Fair enough." She said, nodding in agreement. The wind began to pick up, and she scooped all of her hair behind her back to stop it from blowing everywhere. "In exchange for the information, I'd be willing to publicly support DedSec through my personal blog."

"A personal blog? How big of an audience are we talking?" Riley could hear the skepticism in his voice. She smirked, crossing her arms confidently.

"It gets several thousand hits per day. It's fairly influential in northern California." She boasted, rather proud of what she'd created online. Then, she smiled, gesturing to her turned-off phone. "I'd show you but…you know."

"Impressive." The man admitted with a low whistle. "DedSec could use all the positive rep it could get right now. Supporters are always a welcome thing."

Riley felt that she'd at least garnered his interest. His arms were crossed defensively, but he swayed side to side in an easy manner. Of course, they could still decide that she wasn't trustworthy and pull out of the deal, but the brunette felt that with the amount of followers they could gain to support them with her blog page, they would want to seriously consider her offer.

"You do realize publicly supporting us could put you in danger, right?" He remarked, and she shrugged nonchalantly.

"It comes with the job. I'm not afraid of a little risk."

He nodded slowly, but pierced her with a steady gaze again. "It could also put your employment with ProviBlue in jeopardy. You're using that as a front, right?"

Riley's eyebrows raised, about to ask how they knew, but she stopped herself just in time. They were a hack group after all. It was stupid to assume they hadn't at least done their research before coming to meet with her. She nodded.

"It could, but I'm willing to take the chance. The amount of info I could get with your resources versus what I'm getting now is definitely worth it."

He was silent for several moments, before straightening and grabbing onto his bag by the strap. "Well, Riley, I can tell you're the sort of person that is passionate about what they do. That's a good thing. But something like this I have to discuss with the others. We work as a group and make decisions as a group."

"I understand." She replied genuinely. Really, she did. It would be more suspicious if he outright agreed to go along with her plan right at this moment. Having the confirmed consensus would rest better on her suspicion. "Let me give you my number-"

"No need. We've already got it." He said, waggling the phone in his hand with a chuckle. She smiled ruefully.

"Right. Hacker group. Nearly forgot."

The man took a few paces backwards, the RC car coming to life again in front of him. "We'll be in touch with our answer. Take care of yourself, Riley."

"You too." She said, watching as he faded from view and walked off as a shadow in the darkness beyond. The sound of the RC card slowly faded until there was nothing at all but the lapping waves and cawing gulls above.

Riley took a breath and walked the way she came from towards her car. She wouldn't be getting a lick of sleep that night, guaranteed.

* * *

 

Marcus walked back towards the van, the jumper driving beside him on the pier. He had a good feeling about Riley, but there was still the matter of convincing the rest of the group that he thought they should go through with it. Sitara wouldn't be that hard to convince, and Josh was normally pretty indifferent about these things. Wrench would be the hardest, and even he could be persuaded easily in the right circumstances.

Speaking of, there was a few deep, metallic thumps somewhere to his left. Unconcerned, he continued walking as Wrench jumped off from the top of one of the shipping containers.

"Ungh!" The masked hacker grunted, straightening and joining Marcus' side. The surveillance rifle was leaned casually against his shoulder as he walked. "Sooo, are we joining forces or what?"

Marcus shrugged. "I mean, I believe her. She got pretty riled up when she started talking about exposing all the corruption. If she was acting, she's really good at it."

"Yeah, but she could still be looking to take our information and fuck us over." He pointed out, eyes turning into double lines, indicating his irritation. "Take Prime_Eight for example."

"Maybe." Marcus admitted, but still not convinced that she would. He gestured towards the camera rifle on his shoulder after a moment. "Did you get it all?"

Wrench patted the barrel affectionately, expression changing to one of pride. "Yup, audio and visual. We can look it over at the hackerspace."


	3. Mysterious Men

The whole gang gathered around the tv screen, watching the events of that night transpire on the video that Wrench took using the camera rifle. Marcus' back was to the camera, with Riley facing them. They all watched as she gestured towards the city.

 _"_ _I'm tired of the undeserving taking what they want and exploiting individual after individual to get it."_ She said, and Marcus raised a hand to calm her down.

 _"_ _You're preaching to the choir, Riley."_ He replied, and Marcus paused the video. Turning towards the rest, he silently spread his hands, as if implying 'What else is there to say?'

"Could be pretending." Wrench added pessimistically, still playing Devil's advocate, but he was slowly coming to terms that perhaps Riley was genuine. It wouldn't hurt to keep up the one dissenting opinion though. A bit of debate was good, and made sure they didn't follow blindly into bad decisions.

"I doubt it." Marcus shook his head, then pointed towards the screen, stuck paused on Riley's determined expression. "I mean, look at that. She was nearly shaking. You can't fake something like that so easily."

"It could be, of course." Josh interjected, eyes glued to the screens up above. "Very difficult, but not impossible for an experienced actress or pathological liar-"

"Josh, she's 23. I can't see someone that young having that much acting experience." Sitara said, shrugging nonchalantly. Then, she gestured to Marcus. "Let's see the rest before we make any decisions though."

Marcus hit the play button and the video started up again. The camera shook slightly to the side, probably from Wrench shifting positions. _"It's all well and good that you want to help the problem, but what's in it for DedSec? This proposal is sounding very one-sided at the moment."_

They watched her try fixing her hair, and Wrench zeroed in on her face, searching for any inkling of deceit. She nodded slowly. _"Fair enough. In exchange for the information, I'd be willing to publicly support DedSec through my personal blog."_

Marcus felt Sitara shift in place excitedly, already salivating at the prospect of more followers or influence for her brand. He hid a smirk, but drew his attention back towards the screen.

_"_ _A personal blog? How big of an audience are we talking?"_

_"_ _It gets several thousand hits per day. It's fairly influential in northern California."_ They all saw the smile of pride on her face.

"Oh, I'm liking her already." Sitara practically purred, leaning comfortably over the couch and linking her fingers together. "I think we'll get along just fine."

They watched through the rest of the video, but at that point the group of hackers had already made their decisions. Sitara was the first to speak up, as Marcus knew she would.

"I say we take her offer. Think of all the exposure we could get on a blog page that huge!" She gestured wide, smiling just as wide. "It could do wonders for our public image, first of all, not to mention a boost in our processing power if they download the app too."

Marcus turned to Josh, noticing he hadn't said much in terms of which side of the debate he was on. The green-hooded hacker noticed and explained. "I got a look at her coding while tracking down her information. She's pretty good. Could use more refining in some elements, but not terrible. I think she'd be valuable to the team."

Lastly, he turned to Wrench, already seeing the crossed arms and defensive posturing. Marcus mimicked the pose and grinned. "Well? Spit it out." Obviously he had something he wanted to say, but seeing as everyone else had already agreed, perhaps he felt saying what was on his mind wouldn't be welcomed. Marcus wasn't having it. Every person would have a voice, no matter the opinion.

Wrench glanced around at the group, seeing that all eyes were on him again, and he sighed, expression turning into blinking eyes. "You're right, she could be a good member to the team." The eyes changed to small apostrophes, indicating slight irritation. "But all I'm saying is she could also have other reasons for wanting to get close to us. After Horatio," he gestured over to the memorialized wall, "I just think we should be more cautious with who we trust."

The others grew quiet when Horatio was mentioned, but Wrench had a point. Realizing he'd brought down the mood, Wrench pushed off the edge of the couch and shrugged uncaringly. "But hey, why not give it a shot? After all, if she turns out to be a problem, well, that's why you've got me around." He pointed two thumbs towards himself, eyes changing into '^' symbols, before sauntering off towards his workbench again.

Marcus caught Sitara's and Josh's eyes, before smiling with content. Seems they'd reached a consensus.

* * *

Riley slapped the alarm on her clock to snooze for the second time and groaned into the comforter. She shifted positions, pulling the blankets higher up her shoulder to ward off the chill air of her room. Under the blankets was so warm, she didn't want to leave. Finally cracking an eye and peering above the warm covers, she spotted the time and closed them again, wishing this was some cruel joke.

It took her several seconds to work up the effort to push herself up and out of bed, but she finally did, stretching with a moan after doing so. Then, for several more seconds, she slumped there and pondered how worth it it would be to call in sick or something. Riley was not really a morning person, and she hadn't gotten much sleep anyways. Actually, it surprised her that she'd gotten any at all. A few hours was unexpected.

At first, she thought it had all been a dream, and the meeting at the pier had never happened. But then, one glance over at the jacket tossed across the back of her desk chair, where she'd thrown it after getting home was the only reassurance she needed.

Riley slid down from the bed and stood groggily, rubbing at her eyes and blindly walking towards the bathroom to shower. The sound of a shower was sort of uncomfortable, but she knew as soon as she got in, that she wouldn't want to leave it. Funny how those things worked.

The brunette nearly tripped on Pants on the way there, and the cat meowed his protest before skirting away towards the living room. "Sorry, buddy." She murmured, gesturing a quick apology as he disappeared behind some furniture.

Deciding that he wasn't grievously wounded from having his tail kicked at, Riley entered the bathroom and started on her usual showering routine. She plugged her phone into a small speaker sitting on the counter, playing whatever was on her Spotify playlist, then undressed.

The music played just loud enough to hear over the rushing water, but not too loud that the neighboring apartments would file a noise complaint. She'd quickly found out that people around here weren't very accommodating when it came to music in the morning.

The hot water felt nice against her skin and, as predicted, Riley took a little longer than she probably should have getting clean. By the time she stepped out of her shower, it was uncomfortably close to the time she needed to leave for work. Dressing in a hurry, Riley tried multitasking by alternating both hair and makeup in the mirror, to a somewhat effective extent.

Her phone vibrated on the desk, and she peeked at it while applying mascara. It was a text from an unrecognized number. Her stomach did a little flip. Of course, Riley was certain DedSec would be quick with an answer, but this was far sooner than she expected one. Shoving the mascara wand back into the container, her fingers were swiping and unlocking her phone in record time.

_You've got a deal, Riley._

She perked up, unable to help the pleased smile on her face. Today was shaping up to be great! She sent a quick reply, thanking them for accepting the offer, and saying she'd start writing the draft of her next blog post that night. Chest tight and giddy with excitement, Riley got through the rest of her routine faster than she thought possible. Makeup done and hair mostly dry, she tossed on her shoes and headed for the door.

* * *

"A DedSec follower tipped us off to some inconsistent activity with their ProviBlue accounts. She says a premium for a program she didn't sign up for showed up on her statement."

Marcus and Wrench leaned in closer to Josh's screen, seeing the email sent to them. "Maybe it was just a mistake on ProviBlue's end? I'm sure it happens sometimes."

"Maybe," Josh admitted skeptically, "but she's not the only one this has happened to recently." A few keystrokes later brought up four other emails of similar contents, all from DedSec members.

Wrench's mask displayed two 'at' symbols, and he leaned back with crossed arms. "I smell some shady shit going on."

Marcus nodded, agreeing that five people in the last week was a bit suspicious. "Alright, we'll need to get access to ProviBlue's accounts to see just how many accounts this is happening to." Standing, he paused, then nodded with a knowing smile. "And I know exactly how we're gonna do it."

There was a brief silence, as Josh and Wrench connected the dots together. Josh seemed content with the plan of action, but the masked man cocked his head and shrugged with uncertainty. "You sure? We just agreed to work with her last night, and this type of thing wasn't part of the deal we made."

"That's true but…we could at least ask. If she says no, I can always go there and hack in myself. It would just take more time." Marcus couldn't see the harm in it. "This'll be a test run of sorts. You know, to establish trust with one another." He added as an afterthought.

Wrench gave a sigh but nodded. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you if things don't end up how we want them to. We don't know if she's even up for it yet."

* * *

Riley was nearly falling asleep that afternoon at her desk. It was right after lunch, and the afternoon heat of the office, plus the feeling of fullness from having eaten was lulling her to rest. Eyes drooping, she propped her head on her hand, elbow supporting her on the desk. At least it was a slow day that day, because Riley honestly didn't know if she'd have the energy to answer call after call at that moment.

She could hear Dan in his cubicle talking to someone. It didn't sound like a customer, because if the language he was quietly using was any indication, he'd have been fired long ago. Most likely one of his buddies or something. At least he wasn't antagonizing her for another date. That's all Riley cared about.

She'd brought in her laptop that day, intent on fulfilling her promise to DedSec. A rough outline of a blog post sat half-finished in her files. At least she'd gotten the main brunt of it out of the way. The finer details were the most fun to do and would come later, but actually setting up the format and sectioning out the page was not her favorite. Better to get it out of the way first.

Riley caught herself before she could actually fall asleep, jerking in her seat when she realized just how close she was to doing so. Reaching up slowly, her arms stretched both painfully and blissfully. She groaned quietly, letting her limbs go limp again as they fell to her sides. This day was slogging by, and it was only 1:00 in the afternoon.

A buzzing on her desk alerted her to a text message. She idly reached over and opened it, practically not even looking at the screen to do so. Rubbing at her eyes, it took a moment to read the words.

_We might need your help with something, Riley. Some of our people have brought up concerns about ProviBlue, and we need some info. You up for it?_

Some of her fatigue was washed away at seeing it was from DedSec. With a precursory glance behind her to make sure no one was there, she replied immediately.

**_What exactly did you need?_ **

_When you apply for a rewards or credit card program, it requires an authorization signature, right?_

**_Of course. They keep an electronic copy on file._ **

_Perfect. Would you mind getting us a copy of all the accounts that have the program active? And any accounts that owe any premium fees?_

Riley paused, staring at the screen. That was a lot of info. This hadn't exactly been what she expected when it came to partnering with DedSec, though she supposed she shouldn't be surprised at all. No shit they'd want to reach out to people in opportune places to get their hands on more information. Of course, she didn't really see why they needed that specific list, not seeing a connection to some sort of scandal that way.

And it wasn't that Riley wasn't willing. She didn't like the corporation as much as they did. She just hoped the higher-ups wouldn't notice and terminate her employment for stealing information. Regardless of the risk, she shot back a reply.

**_Sure, I'll see what I can do. Any specific format you need it on?_ **

_A USB should do fine._

With another glance behind her, she grabbed the USB from her bag and plugged it into her system. Thankfully, the premium accounts weren't out of her jurisdiction when it came to the company files, and fees owed was a universal database within the company. Accessing either system wouldn't be overly suspicious.

The computer recognized the USB insert, and Riley navigated over to the files for the accounts that owed an outstanding fee. She filtered the search to only those that owed a fee on a premium program, highlighting and dragging the info over to the USB. It took several moments to transfer, and Riley felt a pit in her stomach as someone came closer in the hall. She minimized the window and went back to looking bored. The woman laughed into her headset as she walked passed the cubicle and down the rest of the hall. Riley relaxed again and brought up the window once more.

Once those files transferred over, she switched over to the programs available to ProviBlue account holders. There was a search feature to find specific accounts by name or card number, but Riley also knew she could see the whole database by typing a certain code into the bar. A moment later and a long list of names and accounts appeared. She similarly highlighted and dragged the list over to the USB icon on her external drive and waited for it to transfer.

Thankfully her USB was of a larger size, able to handle the amount of data she'd just stolen. Even so, it was still 98% full. She was lucky it could hold it all. She ejected the small device and tucked it safely into her bag again, exiting out of the program to resume her normal work screen.

There was a small thrill of doing something she wasn't supposed settling in her chest. Ignoring it, Riley took a breath and tried looking as normal as possible. She grabbed her phone a moment later, nearly forgetting to inform them.

**_Alright, I've got it all._ **

_Great. One of our members will grab it from you after you're off work._

**_Any specific place I should go?_ **

_We'll let you know later. In the meantime, delete these messages so they can't be traced._

**_No problem, will do._ **

As instructed, the brunette deleted the texts she'd received thus far from the DedSec member. It didn't occur to her until then that she didn't even know his name. Or her name. Scratch that, she didn't even know if who she was speaking to was the same person she'd met face to face the other day. It sure seemed like it was, but one never knew. Shrugging, she set her phone down and waited for the rest of her shift to be over.

* * *

Riley shut off the engine to her car and looked around. The parking garage was low-lit, despite the sun still being low in the sky outside. The basement level didn't have too many cars around, and it gave her this eerie shill down her spine. No matter how trustworthy these DedSec people were, and no matter how much she didn't believe they would, Riley couldn't help but feel like this was the setting of her impending murder.

The brunette looked down at the phone in her lap, reading the instructions again just to be sure.

_Go to the parking garage on 2300 and Sunnyside Parkway. Drive to the basement level. One of our members will be there._

She looked around, but didn't see any one vehicle that stood out from the rest. Shaking her head because she felt ridiculous, Riley grabbed her bag and opened the driver door, stepping out of the safety of her car. The door slamming shut echoed across the garage, setting her hair on the back of her neck on end.

She aimlessly walked around her car, waiting for someone to meet her, before finally resorting to leaning against one of the concrete pillars supporting the structure. She could faintly hear the sound of traffic above, and despite being underground, somehow it sounded like wind was constantly rushing through the place.

Over the consistent white noise of the garage, Riley heard the sound of a truck approaching. She looked around, not really able to pinpoint where it was coming from, but before long the red pick-up rounded the corner and made a beeline for where she stood.

Clutching her bag a little tighter, Riley made sure her outward posture was calm as the driver pulled into a spot two spaces away from her car. The windows were tinted, meaning she couldn't see who it was inside.

The door opened, and the last person she expected to see stepped out, slamming it behind him. He was clad in a hoodie and spiked biker jacket, the sleeves rolled up to reveal several tattoos adorning his arms. His jeans were faded and ripped in various places. They appeared to be genuine wear and tear, not the fashionable kind that you found pre-ripped into the jeans in stores.

What was most striking, however, was the spiked leather mask that covered his face, two white X's on the front displaying his eyes. Riley couldn't help but stare, fascinated by the mask. To be honest, it was pretty damn cool.

He stopped several feet in front of her and crossed his arms. "You're Riley?" He asked, his voice obviously altered with a changer. It came out as a slightly-robotic, higher-pitched tone than what a normal voice would sound like.

"Uh, yeah." She said dumbly, too enthralled with the way the X's on his mask changed according to his emotions or speech or…whatever changed them. It was so cool. Then, remembering why she was there, she forcefully tore her gaze away and dug in her purse for the USB.

She held it out for him. "Here's all the info you asked for. If you need anything else, I can try to get it for you tomorrow."

He nodded and accepted the small device from her, inspecting it at all angles. "If we do, I'm sure Marcus will text you." He said offhandedly with a lofty gesture of his hand. Riley frowned slightly.

"Marcus?"

The man turned to her and cocked his head, the X's turning into exclamation points now. "The guy you met with yesterday? Tall, cool, and mysterious? That guy?"

Riley honestly thought that description fit the man in front of her better than who she met on the pier, but she wouldn't say that out loud. "Oh, ok. He didn't tell me his name."

The man sighed. "If we're gonna work with you, you might as well know our names." He replied, tucking the USB into his jacket pocket. Riley was having a hard time gauging his mood. The voice changer changed the pitch of his voice only slightly, but the mask prevented her from really seeing much of his face. The only indication was the eyes on his mask flickering between exclamation points to three dots. Was he annoyed that they were working together? Angry? Overjoyed? She couldn't tell.

Before she could ask what his name was, he turned back to her and his mask took on two '#' symbols. He took a step forward, so she took a step backwards to keep distance between them.

"Let me cut straight to the point." He warned, his offhanded tone from before changing into something more serious. "We've been burned in the past, and I don't want to see it happen again because we trusted the wrong person."

Riley said nothing as he pointed at her accusingly. "The rest of them seem to be really eager to trust you, but I want you to earn it first."

She nodded silently, feeling strangely emboldened by his words. He was just trying to protect his friends. Riley couldn't fault him for that. In her line of work, trusting the wrong person could ruin your entire assignment, or even put you in danger. She imagined the same applied to DedSec.

Realizing he came off as a lot more threatening than he probably meant to, Riley watched him take a step back. "You won't have to worry about me. I guess it can come off as suspicious because I'll be using the data you guys provide, but we both want the same goal. I wouldn't jeopardize that."

"Hmm." He grunted, looking away. Then, after a moment of silence, he shrugged. "It's not you specifically I distrust. You just need to understand that if you become a problem for us…" He turned back to her with angry slants for eyes. "…I'll make sure to fix it."

Knowing now that he was just passionate about protecting his friends and their operation, the threat wasn't as effective on her as it might have been. She gave a small smile and nodded. With that, he seemed satisfied and walked off back towards the truck.

Riley looked up in realization that she didn't even get his name. She stepped forward as he was about to open the truck door. "Wait, what's your name? You never said."

He turned back to look at her over his shoulder. "Wrench."

Riley smiled, nodding in acceptance of his strange nickname. "Alright, Wrench. I just had to tell you that your mask is definitely the coolest thing I've ever seen. And I've seen the cosplays at San Diego Comic Con, so that's saying something."

Wrench's mask changed into three dots on either side. There were a few moments of silence as he just looked at her, but then they changed into a happy expression of '^.^' and he cocked his head. "Thanks."

Riley watched as he climbed into the truck and started the engine. The window rolled down part way, and Wrench shot her a peace sign in goodbye. That expression of happiness was still on his mask. She raised a hand, and the window rolled back up to hide him from view. The truck backed out of the parking spot and shot away towards the exit.

The brunette stood there for a few more moments until the sound of Wrench's vehicle faded away entirely. Releasing the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, Riley finally dug her keys out of her pocket and entered her own car.

The engine started up and she peeled away towards home, not spotting the truck again the entire way there. And Riley would't admit to intentionally looking for it, even though she honestly thought Wrench was super mysterious. And unfortunately for her, Riley had always had a thing for mysterious guys. Damn her.

* * *

Wrench walked into the hackerspace feeling…strange. He still didn't want to outright trust Riley because he wasn't 100% positive of her intentions, but at the same time she was-

"So, how'd it go?" Marcus interrupted, draping his arm around Wrench's shoulders as he walked beside him.

"As planned." The masked man said, flashing a happy expression. He pulled the USB from his pocket and set it in front of Josh at his desk. "That should be everything."

Josh nodded, plugging the device into his desktop. "I'll start looking through the files and matching them to signature authorizations." He leaned closer to his computer, effectively cutting the conversation there.

Wrench didn't mind and walked back to his workspace by the 3D printer, with Marcus following behind him closely. He had a feeling he knew what his friend wanted to talk about, and finally sighed, leaning back against his desk to face Marcus. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me. You know. Thoughts on our newest partner?"

Wrench was tempted to continue coming off as pessimistic about her, because a small part of him still was, but for the most part, that would be a lie. Deciding to be honest about it, he shrugged.

"She's cool." He accompanied the statement with a happy expression, just to ease Marcus' mind somewhat. But that apparently didn't seem to be enough for him.

"Hmm, just cool huh?"

Wrench gestured outward with his hands. "I don't know, man. I met her for like 5 minutes. What else did you expect?"

Marcus had that infernal smirk on his face that said he knew more than what Wrench was telling him. "She complimented your mask, didn't she?"

Wrench scoffed, turning his back to his friend. "So what if she did? Chicks dig the mask."

"Riigghhtt…well, I'll let you get back to it. If you're lucky, you might see her again soon."

Marcus eventually walked away when it became clear that Wrench would ignore that last part. He shook his head in frustration before grabbing the nearest piece to a motherboard he was tinkering with to hack into one of those giant cranes that were scattered about the city.

* * *

Pants was already waiting by the door for her when she arrived home, no doubt offended that she was late. His dinner time had come and gone, and now he was impatiently meowing for her to hurry up and feed him.

Riley shook her head and chuckled. "I'm sorry, I had something important to do. I didn't forget about you."

Another angry meow conveyed his doubts, and he jumped up onto the counter out of spike. Predictably, she immediately picked him up and set him on the ground again. He circled her legs, continuing to meow.

"Ok, I get that you're mad, but honestly. There's no need for this temper tantrum. You're a big boy, you can handle an hour without food." So saying, she headed for her bedroom to change into something more comfortable.

Pants followed her the whole way, letting her know that no, he couldn't have survived another second of her being away, and that she should be ashamed for making him wait so long. Riley had a distinct thought that perhaps she was interpreting more emotion from her pet than what he actually felt. Maybe she was personifying him way more than what was normal. Turning to see his upturned nose, haughty stance, and low, grumbling meows, she dashed the thought aside and decided that he was actually just legitimately an asshole.

She changed into her pajamas and finally fed the impatient cat. He munched happily, yet begrudgingly, away at his food while she turned on the tv and navigated to the newest episode of her favorite cop show. When it came to action, horror, or adventure movies, as well as cheesy cop drama shows and psychological thrillers, Riley was a sucker.

Propping her feet up on the ottoman, tray of microwave food in her lap, she settled in for the night to enjoy some time for herself. She decided that she'd look over the recordings of the day over the weekend, knowing there was little chance of anything significant being in the information she'd captured. Riley deserved a break every once in awhile.

After some time, Pants finished his food and came looking for some cuddles. Riley had finished her food at that point and put it on the table beside the couch. Pants jumped up on the cushion beside her and then stepped onto her lap.

"Oh, now you want to be all friendly and nice?" She griped playfully. His purring rumbled against her chest as she pulled him closer to her. She cradled him to her chest, and he settled into a more comfortable position, resting his head against her.

"You know," she said gently, stroking under his chin in the way he liked, "for being an asshole, you're actually pretty cute and lovable."

He didn't reply other than to keep purring at her scratching.


	4. Fly On the Wall

_"My fellow citizens; Your wealth is once again at risk. ProviBlue has broken your trust, violating your most basic of human rights: your ability to say no. Unbeknownst to the Better Business Bureau, ProviBlue has been illegally opening and approving rewards and credit programs in your name. Without your consent._

_"_ _Fake signatures and empty, filler accounts with no other purpose than to boost the company's numbers and stock prices. We like to call that 'Misleading the Shareholders.'_

_"_ _Many of you have probably already seen mystery fees and charges on your bank statements that shouldn't be there. The time to protest these unlawful and unethical actions is now. Make those in charge aware of ProviBlue's deception, and seriously think about how you can better your financial security._

_"_ _DedSec has given you the truth. Do what you will."_

Riley closed out of her Youtube app, pulling the headphone from her ear. She was only mildly shocked to see the newest DedSec video had come out a day after she'd given them the data. They sure worked quickly once they had what they needed. A part of her felt extremely satisfied to have been a part of the process that revealed this information to the public.

And the good thing was that there was basically no way they could tie the leak back to her. She hadn't been breaking into any systems to get the data. Not only that, but employees used USB's all the time, to store procedural and protocol data. If anyone had seen her with the USB in hand, it wouldn't have been suspicious.

In the cubicle beside her, she heard Dan answer a phone call on his cell phone and, despite his attempts to talk quietly, she could still hear every word he was saying.

"Hello?…Yeah, I saw it…What's there to worry about? We might lose a few accounts, but it's gonna take more than that to make the company go under…"

Riley knew he was right. Her contented mood deflated a tiny bit. This one video against ProviBlue wasn't going to do much more than take a small chunk of their accounts away, scaring some of the more sensible customers to take their money elsewhere. Others, perhaps those who weren't partial to change, would remain. Those whose interests ran deep with the company's would too.

"Of course I'm still gonna have a job…no, that's…no…I promise…DedSec is gonna get what's coming to them, I'm sure the FBI or police are gonna catch up to them soon. They can't keep this shit up forever…" Dan sounded so sure of himself, Riley knew he believed his words wholeheartedly.

Riley, however, was confident that they knew what they were doing. They'd lasted this long doing what they did. Obviously, Marcus and his group could navigate their way around the system with relative ease. She wasn't worried.

Plus, with her now being an ally of DedSec, Riley grinned to herself in mirth. "You keep thinking that." She mumbled low under her breath, too quiet for him to hear. Dan's call lasted for several more minutes, but the topic of DedSec faded and Riley tuned out the rest. She went on to finalize some reports for her current accounts' loans, emailing them to her superiors.

* * *

 

Mr. Hodge couldn't help but look around at the expansive office of the company's CEO. It was open and lavish, and much too spacious for his taste. Too much unusable and negative space. He much preferred his dimly-lit nook that was just barely too small to fit everything neatly without leaving a mess. All this…emptiness was intimidating. But he didn't get to look for much longer than that, as the tablet was slapped down onto the desk in front of it with much more force than was good for it. The IT chief winced at the loud sound, barely able to glance up at the angry CEO's face.

"How?" Sandra Jennings seethed, pointing accusatorially at the tablet she'd just slammed down. "How is it possible that this was leaked? Explain this to me!"

"I-" He tried starting, attempting to find the right words to calm her down. She was now pacing back and forth, her face pinched with barely contained anger. "Ma'am, we ran all the background checks. There wasn't any external breach of security, our systems were up-to-date, with no signs that a hack had been made-"

Sandra rounded back towards him, looking deadly in her pencil skirt and pinched face. "And yet this…this _scandal_ is now out on display for the world to see! So somewhere in your damn system, something went wrong!"

It probably wasn't wise to debate this issue with her, but he also knew the system was as secure as it had always been. He was analytical, went by the facts instead of emotions, and the fact was that there was no sign of the system having been breached.

Folding his hands together, he spoke softer, hoping it would somehow cause her to do the same. "Look, Ma'am. I've run the numbers dozens of times. I've read back through every log I could think of to see where an intrusion could have come from. But there's nothing."

"Then how-"

"Please let me finish." He interrupted sternly, pleased to see her allow him to do so. Nodding, he pressed on. "Like I said, there's no evidence of someone from outside the company hacking into the system. It's highly unlikely DedSec themselves were the ones behind leaking the data. But that doesn't rule out other possible explanations for how this data got out."

Sandra pursed her lips, growing eerily quiet. Her pacing stopped, and she looked out the window at the view of the city. Below, cars and taxis and buses made their way through the streets, a throng of people traveling by sidewalk beside them. At this height, they were the size of ants.

"You're telling me," she started, slowly turning to face the IT chief, "that there may be a mole within our company?"

He tossed his head back and forth, not wanting to commit to an answer if it turned out to be wrong. However, given the circumstances, he couldn't see it being any other outcome. "Yeah, that's what I'm implying. I can't see any other way that this could have happened."

"I see."

He watched as she walked forward and delicately retrieved the tablet from the desk again, tapping at the screen and walking back towards the window without giving him a glance. He wasn't sure if he was being dismissed nonverbally, or-

"Mr. Hodge."

He nearly jumped at the sound of his name, not expecting her to use it. "Yes, Ma'am?"

Her cold eyes burned into his. "I want a full criminal and psychological profile done on all of our IT engineers, as well as possible employees who hold a grudge against the company. Speak to Mr. Davis in Security to coordinate. I want this kept quiet."

Mr. Hodge opened his mouth, about to inform her that it was illegal to evaluate their employees in such a way without their consent, but a moment later he realized that she was aware of this. Aware and unconcerned with the legal issues with it. He swallowed the warning and nodded slowly. "Of course."

"That will be all." She gestured him out with a dismissive wave, her eyes glued to the tablet. Mr. Hodge stood, escaping her office as quickly as he could without looking afraid. Rumor had it she could smell it on you anyway.

* * *

 

Riley frowned, noticing a company memo on her desk when she returned from lunch. They didn't often leave paper copies of memos anymore. Mostly it was done through email. She sat in her chair and brought it closer to read.

_ATTN: ProviBlue Employees_

_Due to a suspected breach in data security, all information distribution processes and protocols will be reviewed and revised accordingly. Revisions will be issued in the format of an updated policy handbook, which all employees are encouraged to read and familiarize themselves with._

_Please be aware: Our security and IT team will be reviewing policies over the next few days, and changes will take immediate effect. These will affect your day-to-day work responsibilities, so keep yourself informed and educated on updates regarding this matter._

_Thank you._

She tucked the memo into one of her stacked file holders, wanting to keep the copy around just in case she needed to refer back to it. Riley placed her headset on her head, thinking over what may happen from here. No doubt, the higher-ups were concerned about a repeat incident, and were taking all the necessary precautions to prevent another hack of this kind. Apparently, she'd spooked them more than she'd anticipated.

Riley had a feeling things would get a bit more complicated from here on out.

* * *

 

Scrolling through the news headlines highlighting their most recent exposure of ProviBlue, Marcus chuckled to himself with each scathing remark he saw about the company. It was honestly funny how these things always went down. Wrench noticed his mirth and wandered over to the couch.

"Something funny you're not showing me? I'm hurt." The masked man placed a hand on his chest, feigning a wound.

"Nah, man. Come take a look for yourself." He waved him to the spot beside him on the couch, tilting the screen so he could see. "It never gets old, seeing all these companies turn on their own once they're targeted."

"Well, yeah." Wrench gestured casually with a shrug. "As soon as they're put under public scrutiny, suddenly all their support is gone. No one wants to be affiliated with someone caught in a scandal."

Marcus nodded, scrolling through a few more headlines, reading quotes from other company heads and business affiliates, stating how if they'd known about the transgressions they wouldn't have morally done business with ProviBlue in the first place. "Yeah, I know. There's something about being aware of how hypocritical they all are that gives me a good laugh."

"Um…" They heard from behind them. Wrench and Marcus turned in place, facing Josh who was looking slightly uncomfortable.

"What's on your mind, Josh-O?" Wrench asked, ignoring the glare of disapproval the hooded hacker sent his way.

"It's just…shouldn't we do something to make sure Riley isn't caught up in the aftermath? Considering she helped us get the data, it wouldn't be right if she lost her job for it." His hands repeatedly clenched and unclenched, a sure sign that he felt conflicted about something. "I mean, it's great that we hit ProviBlue. But-"

"It'll be fine, Josh." Sitara interrupted, approaching with a can of spray paint in hand. She looked like she was about to head off to do some graffiti. "I'm sure they won't figure out who was responsible for the leak. Plus, we can help if she's put in a tough spot."

"Riley's an investigative journalist. I'm sure she can handle a little risk." Marcus reasoned, and Wrench shrugged silently.

"If she can't, I'd be disappointed." He remarked, reaching over to grab the tv remote. The screen came to life with a touch of a button.

Josh still seemed unsure, but decided that if his team was confident, he should be too. He had confidence in his team, and that was enough. Riley was in good hands, after all.

Nodding, he went back to sifting through and categorizing the ProviBlue data to store for later. It was a time-consuming task, but he liked that. It gave him time to himself without interruption.

* * *

 

Riley came to a stop outside the motel, fingers gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter than she meant to. It wasn't that she was nervous about posing as the Financial Director of Zaferi Electronics' personal assistant but…ok yeah, she was nervous. A stuttered breath escaped her lips, and she looked over to check the briefcase she'd brought with her.

"Alright, Riley, don't fuck this up. In, out, then ice cream on the way back home." She mumbled to herself, shutting off the engine and stepping out into the night air. The door slammed shut beside her, and she smoothed down the pencil skirt so it didn't actually _look_ like it was a size too small for her. Damn her for not shopping for better clothing beforehand. Hefting the briefcase in her hand, she let out another breath, heels clicking against the pavement as she walked up to the entrance.

The motel wasn't exactly five-star, but for the Financial Director's purposes, it would do. She'd been tracking this lead for a couple months, and came to discover he had a weekly rendezvous with his 'lady of the night' here. But Riley suspected that the woman was more than a simple mistress. From what she could gather, she was also a representative of a regulation business council that approved and denied companies their policies and procedures. Something felt fishy about this.

Tucking a few more strands of hair back into place to look neater, she pushed through the door with as disapproving an expression as she could manage. The glass door swung open before her, ushering her into the main lobby. The receptionist looked up with a bored expression, sitting up only because her superiors required it of her.

"How can I help you, Ma'am?" The blonde woman inquired, and Riley sighed.

"I need to know which room Mr. Yates will be staying in this evening."

The woman frowned, slowly shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't give that information out to just anyone."

Making it as apparent as possible that the receptionist was wasting her time, Riley sighed again. "I'm his personal assistant, and he requested I leave his…business materials…in his room before he arrives." The brunette honestly didn't have to fake the discomfort with those two words.

The receptionist looked conflicted, leaning forward to glance down at the briefcase she carried, finally nodding towards it. "Let's have a look then."

"Mr. Yates requested to keep his presence here as discreet as possible. That includes his…well, I can't-"

"Then I'm sorry, I can't help you." The blonde sat back in her chair.

Riley looked bitter. "The things I do for my job…" She mumbled, placing the briefcase on the counter and unlatching the locks. It popped open and, rather reluctantly, she turned it to show the blonde the contents.

Her eyes widened and the skin on her cheeks grew red from embarrassment. Riley felt it more so, having had to buy all of the sex toys, bondage equipment, whips, blindfolds, rubber dildos, and butt plugs just to sneak in here. She was nothing if not thorough, but it had been quite shaming to have to buy all of these.

"U-uh, right. Well…" The receptionist stuttered, clearing her throat and leaning away from the briefcase. "Mr. Yates is in room 1086. Here's the key. Just bring it back here when you're done."

Riley accepted the plastic keycard and closed the briefcase with a snap. "I trust you won't speak of this matter? Mr. Yates is adamant that his business here is _not_ to be spoken of. Is that clear?"

"Yeah, sure." The blonde said, and Riley thankfully believed her. The slight disgust and alarm on her face was telling enough. Locking the briefcase up again, she straightened her collar with a huff and walked towards the hallway that the room was. This had to be the most embarrassing op she'd ever done.

Save for the distant and muffled bedsprings and feminine moans somewhere else in the motel, the hallway she was walking down was otherwise quiet. A housekeeper's cart was blocking one of the doors, but Riley passed it by, eyes scanning the room numbers for the right one.

She came upon his room and inserted the white card. The light turned green as she pulled it from the slot, and she pushed on the handle to open the door. The room she entered was dark, made neat by the housekeeping staff. There appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary in the room. All looked as any other motel room would. Good.

Flipping the lights on and walking over to the bed, she placed the briefcase down and opened it again. Normally, she'd worry about any cameras hidden in the room, but motels that hosted high-profile people's rarely had cameras for privacy reasons. She wasn't concerned about that.

This time when opening the case, she moved the dildos and bondage harnesses aside to clear the bottom. She pulled on a small latch, revealing a small audio recorder and video camera. She hesitated when reaching for the camera, debating whether she actually wanted to record any of what would occur in this room.

Deciding that it really wasn't worth it in the end, she forwent the camera and replaced all the objects in the case again. Taking the audio recorder, she started looking around for a place to hide it. Most of the surfaces were barren and just under eye level. Those wouldn't do. But placing in one of the cupboards would muffle any audio, and may end up being useless.

Her eyes scanned the room's contents, offhandedly determining that the wallpaper seriously needed an update, before finding the perfect spot. The windows had large drapes that hung all the way down to the floor. There was some overlap to either side of the window itself, giving her a perfect spot to attached the device without anyone noticing it. That is, as long as the curtains remained on the rod. She shuddered, rather not picturing how that scenario could even come about while two people had sex. Blegh, she felt dirty just thinking of the word in this circumstance. And she didn't even want to think about how much of this room would light up like a Christmas tree under a black light. Oh god. She just did. Dammit.

Riley suppressed a shudder. Dragging the chair from under the desk over to the window, she stood precariously on it to reach the top of the curtain rod. Brushing the curtain aside up top, she attached the recorder to the wall and let it fall back into place. Riley hopped back down, observing it from all angles. No matter how or where you looked from, it wasn't visible. She sighed a breath of relief, then returned the chair back to where it belonged.

Riley gave the room another glance-over, just to be sure everything was how she'd left it before. All looked normal. Nodding to herself, she exited the room, case in hand, and shut off the lights as she exited the room.

The hallway was still empty besides the cleaning cart further down. Riley began heading towards the direction she'd come, then paused mid-step. It would be suspicious if the receptionist saw Riley still had the briefcase while exiting. It would also be suspicious if she didn't exit out through the main lobby again soon. Thinking quick, Riley tossed the case into the trashcan of the cleaning cart as she passed by, not even giving it a glance. Her heels were muffled against the carpet as she left.

The receptionist was reading a magazine and effectively ignoring Riley when she reached the lobby. All the better. Schooling her features neutrally until she had left the building behind her, she climbed into her car and drove for home, wanting to get out of this stupid skirt as soon as possible.

But first: Ice cream.

* * *

 

Robert Yates didn't reach the motel room until 11:30 pm, by which time Riley was already dressed in her pajamas, halfway through her tub of ice cream. Pants was curled up on the couch by her feet, asleep and virtually dead to the world. Most cats woke easily at the slightest movement. Not Pants. He could probably sleep through a mariachi band stomping their way through the apartment, while a rocket simultaneously launched across the street. So she just let him be.

Of course, she was beyond mortified by the sounds and moans that came from her speakers for the first 45 minutes of the recording. She was learning way more about Mr. Yates' fetishes and kinks than Riley ever wanted to know. She'd never look at feet the same way again either.

Thankfully, the moaning and cursing eventually stopped. Riley was able to listen without cringing or wishing she were dead. The sheets shifted multiple times, and both people were silent as they sought their breaths. Riley hoped this was more than just a hookup as she suspected, but as time went on, neither spoke.

And then, it was like the information gates burst open.

 _"_ _What?"_ Yates asked.

_"_ _You're looking at me like that again."_

_"_ _Like what?"_

_"_ _Like you can't stand the sight of me. You regretting our arrangement?"_ Somehow the woman didn't sound all that surprised.

_"_ _No, nothing like that. I just-"_

_"_ _Feel guilty? I mean, I'm sure your wife is beginning to suspect, surely."_

_"_ _No. She has no idea."_ He stuttered, trying to find the right words. " _Besides, I…need…this. At least…Zaferi needs this."_

_"_ _Yeah, well, it's not like I'm one to talk, but you're kind of a douchebag for choosing the company over your own family."_

_"_ _You shut the hell up."_ Yates seethed suddenly, causing Riley to twitch in surprise. She didn't think he'd be yelling at the one woman who can have their illegal practices approved under the table. _"You don't understand. You couldn't."_

 _"_ _Oh, I'm fairly certain I could. It's not like you're the only one in this city that needs something I can give them. You're not the only one trying to convince themselves that this is worth your pride, either."_ Riley heard the woman let out a contented sigh, probably stretching or something. _"Or your family life. I've heard all the excuses imaginable."_

There were several moments of silence, and Riley played with the brief idea that maybe they somehow, inexplicably, found the recorder. But then her heart returned to normal when Yates spoke again.

 _"_ _Our…arrangement, isn't going to last forever. We need you to approve a few more policies that will get Zaferi the information it needs to gain access to customer habits and behavior patterns."_ Riley heard the shuffling of papers, and she imagined he was handing over the copies of the policies in question. _"After that, I'm calling this off."_

There were several more seconds of silence, before the woman spoke up. _"Zaferi is stepping much further past the law than what I expected. This is a total invasion of privacy rights. It'll take an extra cost to put through."_

_"_ _I came prepared. $100,000 should be enough, I hope?"_

_"_ _Yes, that should be sufficient. And I also expect to see you here one last time next week. I've found myself enjoying our little visits. I'd hate to stop so soon."_

Yates sighed heavily. _"Fine, Samantha. Fine."_

She chuckled lowly. It sounded like he started to get dressed, as usual leaving her with the room for the night while he returned home. It took several minutes, but Yates eventually left, leaving Samantha to herself. She sighed gently, and Riley began to pack up for the evening, knowing she was unlikely to get any more info from this excursion.

 _"_ _Yes, it's me."_ Riley heard suddenly, causing her to pause and listen closely. She assumed Samantha had made a phone call, as there was no one else in the room.

_"_ _We'll need as much leeway as we can get with Zaferi's newest policy disclosure form. It'll take some work to get it approved…He paid upfront…I don't think so…He said he'd call off our arrangement after this policy passes, so please let the rep at Nudle know I have Friday's available…I'll bring the paperwork in tomorrow to look over with you…Of course, I'll talk to you in the morning."_

Her hand was beginning to ache from the rapid notes she'd written down, trying to get all the information that had just been given to her. This was good news. Riley could connect at least two big companies to the services of this woman and her under-the-table approvals. At least she was turning out to be a fruitful lead, despite how unpleasant it was to actually follow through on it.

She waited another ten minutes before decided that that was it for the night. Riley disabled the feed from the recorder and shut her laptop off, bending her spine to pop her back. Sitting hunched over in one place for too long wasn't good for her. Thankfully she didn't have work the next day, which gave her some time to sleep in and recover.

"Come on, Pants. Let's go to bed." She said, looking over at the dead-to-the-world feline. She poked at his belly a few times but he didn't move other than to continue breathing evenly, so she shrugged and stood from the couch and placed the rest of her ice cream in the freezer for later. Then, she sauntered off to find her comfy bed.


	5. Late Night Escapades

For several days after, Riley went about her own investigation as usual. DedSec was quiet; she hadn't heard anything from them since being asked to retrieve that information from ProviBlue. A part of her was…disappointed? that they hadn't contacted her since, but the other part knew it was foolish to think they'd be as invested in her as she was with them. They probably had dozens, if not hundreds, of other business partners they worked with. Realistically speaking, Riley might be the least of their concerns.

Her promise to post support on her blog page took a little longer than anticipated to fulfill. The basic outline had sat completed on her computer for two days, untouched until Riley finally worked up the motivation to finish it with the finer details. Not because she was being lazy, but her lead into Zaferi's CEO had taken her further and deeper than she'd anticipated. Her weekend had been spent attempting to hack into various databases and information servers she could find, trying to connect the dots between each company and their dirty secrets. This left room for little else.

When she'd finally posted it the night before, polishing and combing through each sentence to ensure nothing was misspelled, Riley had sat back watching her views slowly climb for awhile. Normally, she got about one quarter of the number of views as comments. But this time, even after 30 minutes, there wasn't any sort of feedback besides the scattering of likes and shares that were normal.

Then, one by one, comments began to come in, as if everyone else was waiting for the others to say what they felt first. Ones, then twos and fours, began to express that they too agreed with the message DedSec was trying to promote. Most tentatively aligned themselves with the hacker group, but tried to emphasize that they didn't approve of all of their methods. Riley wasn't surprised, nor concerned with this initial response. It wouldn't be until Riley had several posts supporting the group that people would feel a bit more comfortable stating their opinions. When it was clear you weren't the only one with an opinion, the fear of retribution for voicing it grew smaller.

Riley was satisfied she'd fulfilled her end of the agreement for the time being, knowing that the next week would require another affirmation. The continued positive reinforcement would slowly begin to make people start thinking about her claims and opinions seriously. It was how people worked.

Riley wasn't sure what the appropriate thing would be at this point. Could she freely contact DedSec? Were they not that trusting of her yet? They didn't exactly specify how often she could get in touch with them or for what reasons. Riley had always been a little awkward when it came to interactions like this. She didn't want to assume things or accidentally overstep boundaries. Of course, most of the time it just ended up making her look ridiculous.

So it was both a surprise and a small relief to find a little box in her mail after work that day. Taking it, then gently shaking it to try determining what it was, the brunette stepped through the door to her apartment and set her things on the counter. Pants was once again demanding attention, but she ignored him temporarily, too occupied with the gift she'd received.

There was a tiny envelope attached to the front, and the message 'Turn Me On ;)' was written on the card inside. Reading it with an amused expression, she ripped open the wrapping and inspected the box inside.

It was an earpiece, very similar to the one she had connected to her audio recorder, but this was smaller, sleeker, and much more expensive by appearance alone. Turning it every which way, she clicked the little switch on the side and nestled it in her ear.

 _"_ _Yo, Riley."_ A female voice said, causing her to jump in place.

"Uh…hello?" She inquired, not sure who she was speaking to. She wasn't familiar with any female with DedSec.

_"_ _Shit. Forgot I haven't properly introduced myself before. I'm Sitara, DedSec's-"_

_"_ _-graphic designer and kick ass brand creator."_ Marcus interrupted over the channel, recognizing his voice. _"Without her, we wouldn't have a name or a face."_

 _"_ _Well, let's be honest guys."_ Riley recognized Wrench's voice next, his mask still making his voice sound tinny and robotic. " _I could always provide the face of DedSec. You know, as an alternative."_

Sitara chuckled proudly. _"Sure, Wrench. I've worked years to get this group where it is. And since you'll be doing a lot of positive marketing for us, Riley, you and I will be working together pretty closely."_

"Cool. I've already written and published the first blog post, too, so you should see some more positive support coming along." Riley smiled, walking towards her bedroom with her stuff. Pants followed after, still angry he hadn't been fed. That cat was never satisfied.

 _"_ _That's what I like to hear."_ There was a moment's pause, before she spoke up again. " _Well? Aren't the rest of you going to introduce yourselves?"_ Sitara stressed kindly. Riley almost laughed, familiar with the awkwardness of a greeting between strangers.

A male cleared his throat. " _We met at the pier before, but we weren't properly introduced. I'm Marcus, newest addition to the group."_ He had a kind voice, and the brunette nodded, changing out of her work shirt and into something more comfortable.

She laughed. "I remember you. You scared me half to death shutting off my electronics."

A few others laughed on the comm, including Marcus. _"Yeah, sorry again about that. Just had to be sure you weren't calling for a swarm of back up or something."_

"No harm done." Riley said, pushing past the door to her bedroom and watching her feet as Pants rushed past her.

Another voice, this one softer and also kind, spoke next. _"I'm Josh."_

 _"…_ _AKA, the one and only Hawtsauce."_ Marcus added when it became apparent there wasn't anything else to follow after, and Riley's eyebrows rose.

"Oh, I've heard of you! You've done some awesome stuff for research foundations and medical institutes. I really respect your work, Josh."

 _"_ _Thanks."_ It seemed he wasn't much of a small-talker. That was ok. He was nice enough. Riley wandered back into her kitchen to feed Pants. He nearly tripped her, weaving in and out of her legs as she walked.

"Pants, you've gotta stop that." She lectured him while opening the fridge for his food, forgetting there were several other listeners in her ear.

 _"_ _Pants?"_ Wrench questioned, confusion rife in his tone.

"Uh, heh, sorry. Pants is the name of my cat. He's very persistent when he's hungry." She shot the feline a piercing glare, but he was unaffected. The cat even had the audacity to sneeze innocently in that damned cute way he always did. Riley resisted the urge to hug him, the bastard.

Sitara made an 'aww' sound. " _That's adorable. I'll have to meet the little guy sometime."_ Riley couldn't help but laugh in response.

"Just don't be disappointed when you find out he's not little anymore." Sitara chuckled again, but Riley took the opportunity to ask the question she'd been wondering about. "Listen, not to sound ungrateful or anything, and it's been great getting to meet you guys in a sense, but I was curious why you gave me this earpiece?"

 _"_ _Really? What kind of partners would we be if we didn't have a convenient way to communicate?"_ Marcus emphasized, and Riley felt a little silly for having asked. " _If we're gonna be working together, it's best we are all in the know."_

"I suppose that makes sense." She figured, dishing out Pants' food in his bowl and setting it on the floor. He made a beeline for it and immediately began eating. "It surprised me is all. We only just started working together."

 _"_ _Having resources closer at hand is a more efficient system."_ Josh explained logically. Riley could faintly hear the quiet tap of computer keys in the background. _"Why wait around to use an asset when it's available now?"_

 _"_ _See? Logical."_ Sitara sounded really sure of herself. _"This channel is exclusively for the group, but you can set up comms with specific people during ops. We can show you how to set that up later."_

"Awesome, thanks." Riley said, pulling out a take-out menu for one of her favorite Chinese food places. Microwave entrees didn't sound so appealing right now. She was feeling fancy tonight.

Josh's typing increased again. _"I'm packaging up some data for your investigation as we speak. You'll have a USB in your mail tomorrow morning."_

"What does it contain?"

_"_ _Everything we have on our previous targets; New Dawn, HMP, Haum, and some smaller-name companies from awhile back. I wasn't sure what exact information you needed. I figured I would just send it all."_

"Oh…wow. That's incredible. I didn't realize you'd send so much." She shook her head, feeling a bit overwhelmed. She'd expected bits and pieces, to be honest. Not a whole data dump. Not that she was complaining…Riley could just see her investigation soaring forward at an accelerated rate.

 _"_ _Why wouldn't we?"_ Wrench asked. _"We want to see these fuckers taken down just as much as you."_

Riley supposed that made perfect sense. They'd want her to spread the word just as much as they did. The more exposure, the more validity it puts on DedSec's claims. If they could get a mob-mentality going with the info, and get more and more groups to start spreading it around, it would force news stations and 'legitimate' sources in the media to acknowledge it's genuineness.

" _And feel free to contact us anytime. For whatever reason. We won't bite."_ Sitara promised, her smile practically audible in her tone.

 _"_ _Except maybe Wrench, but, that's what the mask is for."_ Marcus commented nonchalantly, and Riley heard Wrench scoff.

 _"_ _Only if I'm pissed enough."_ He muttered, causing Riley to laugh under her breath.

"Well, it was great meeting you guys, but I should get back to my own investigation. There's a lot I have to sift through." She said, not wanting to make things awkward by remaining on the comm channel for an extended period of time. It would take a little bit to get used to using it, she knew, and they were still practically strangers to her. Things would get too awkward too quickly at this rate.

 _"_ _Sounds good. Just tune into this frequency to reach any of us when you need to."_ Marcus said.

Riley thanked them all and turned off her earpiece, letting the silence return to the apartment. It was strange having so many people to talk to so suddenly. Most of her investigation had been solo, staking out locations and posing by herself to gather information. Having all these new people to interact with was refreshing.

* * *

 

The cafe was always strangely busy this time of night, Wrench thought, leaning against the wall behind him from the corner stool. Most of the usual customers knew to just leave him be, simply because the mask tended to scare people away. He didn't mind, though. It was half the reason for wearing it; keeping others at a distance.

Wrench alternated between staring out the window at the passing people, and peering over at the waitress out of the corner of his eye. Cara spoke with another table, her tray in hand carrying a few plates of food. Her brown hair was always worn down, over one shoulder. She'd toss it there out of her face while she worked.

Her small butterfly tattoo peeked out from under the hem of her shirt, and he'd always meant to ask about it. However, he'd never gotten around to working up the courage or…hell, he didn't know. He'd just never asked. When it came to things like this, Marcus was always much better at it. Girls were always so complicated. It made Wrench nervous. Maybe today would be different and he would finally actually strike up a meaningful conversation. And maybe-

The bell attached to the door jingled as it was pushed open. A man dressed in slacks and a polo walked in, eyes scanning the room until he lit upon Cara. Wrench watched him smile to himself, then walk quicker towards her. The hacker's fingers curled on the counter, both in an attempt to cool his rising disappointment, and to distract him from the kiss the waitress and the man shared across the room.

The eyes on his mask turned into asterisks by themselves, the most neutral expression he could maintain at the moment in time. He turned his attention back towards the window, willing the man out of his mind. Cara laughed at something he said. That sweet laugh. But the sound hadn't ever grated in his ears the way it did now.

They carried on a conversation, distracting her from work, for several minutes. Wrench refused to look back at the both of them, knowing it would do more harm than good. He resorted to spinning and inspected the long-empty cup of coffee he'd ordered after first arriving.

It wasn't even Cara's fault. Wrench hadn't stepped it the fuck up and talked to her in the first place. It wasn't like they were even in a fucking relationship, but Wrench had played with the thought. He had a goddamn picture of her at his workspace. It still hurt, and he couldn't stop the anger directed towards the both of them.

The sadistic side of him wondered how he could ruin their relationship. It would only take a few fake Facebook message chains, a couple screenshots, some pictures from the internet, and voila. No more boyfriend. It wouldn't even be that hard. Child's play. Maybe ten minutes at most with a laptop. He should have been more ashamed of thinking along those lines, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Wrench heard the bell jingle again, and the man walked past his line of sight outside the cafe, heading away down the sidewalk. Wrench sighed quietly to himself, not sure what to do with the information he'd discovered. One thing became obvious, though. He'd have to find another place to frequent. This one wouldn't do anymore.

The bell jingled again, and this time a woman stepped through. Her long brown hair was tangled and unkempt, and Wrench cocked his head upon seeing the batman pajama pants. She glanced around before heading towards the coffee counter. Wrench couldn't see her face, but she nearly looked homeless with the old hoodie thrown over an old t-shirt.

The woman placed her order with Cara then turned. Wrench's eyes took on two exclamation points, surprised to see Riley here. She instantly recognized him, her tired expression perking up with recognition.

She took a step towards him, then paused. Somehow, he could tell she wasn't sure if she'd be welcome. He gestured for her to come over, and she smiled with a nod.

"If I'd have known I would bump into someone who actually knew me, I'd have worn something a little more appropriate." She joked upon approach, looking down at her own pitifully unstylish ensemble of an outfit.

"Considering it's…" he checked the time, "nearly midnight, I think you have a pass."

"Sweet." She replied neutrally, sitting on the stool beside him. Then, she released an exhausted sigh and rested her head on her crossed arms. "So, what are you doing here anyway?"

"Eh. It's a nice place to think. And the food is average here." He answered vaguely. It would hardly be a good idea to tell her he was stalking a waitress. Her eyes had closed, and she looked asleep already. Wrench nudged her in the arm, eyes turning into question marks. "I could ask you the same thing, you know. And in case you weren't aware, beds are much more comfortable to sleep on than counter tops."

That got a tired chuckle from her. "I _was_ in bed, but not sleeping." She tried sitting up a bit and rubbed at her eyes, smudging the already smudged make up even more. Wrench was careful not to laugh at her raccoon eyeliner and spotty foundation.

"I'm sifting through the USB's of data that Josh sent over. It's taking more time than I thought it would." She went on to explain, then gestured at the cafe around them. "Needed to get up and about or I'd actually end up falling asleep. Figured I'd try this place out since it isn't far from home."

Wrench shrugged, understanding. "We are nothing if not thorough." He said proudly, a happy expression marking his face. "Are you seriously trying to get through all of it in one night?"

"Well, I'm nothing if not stubborn and impatient." She joked, looking up to see his amused emoticons. Then he looked over her shoulder, and the '^' symbols were replaced with three dots before he looked back out the window silently. Arms crossed defensively. Riley frowned in confusion, then turned to see the waitress approaching with a cup of coffee.

"Here you go." The woman said, setting the cup in front of her.

Riley nodded with a quick smile. "Thank you."

She wandered back over towards the front of the cafe, leaving Riley to turn her attention back to the masked man sitting beside her. The tenseness of his shoulders was worrying, and Riley quickly connected the dots.

"Something between you and her?" She asked, subtly sticking a thumb towards the waitress. Wrench gave her a glance, dotted eyes turning into the default X's. As if trying to mask the fact that he was upset. She could tell he was still mildly uncomfortable.

"Not really."

The brunette raised a brow. "Then what's the matter? You got all distant for a second there."

Wrench seemed unable to come up with an answer, glancing around as if searching for one. Ultimately, he sighed and threw up his hands in surrender. "I don't know. Figured I had a shot at something, but that shits out the window now."

Riley looked back over at the waitress, then at Wrench again. "She reject you?"

"Not exactly, but…fuck, whatever. It's my own damn fault anyways." Wrench wasn't even sure why he was talking to Riley about this. Hell, Marcus didn't even know about his forays to this cafe to see Cara.

She took a long sip of her coffee, nodding silently as she thought about what she wanted to say. "Well," she started, setting the cup down again, "did you try talking to her? Getting to know her?"

"…no. I-" His eyes turned into irritated slashes, frustrated that he couldn't quite put it into words. Riley picked up on that quickly, jumping in.

"Then, yeah, that's your fault." Wrench gave her a piercing look, but she continued. "I know that's super blunt and kind of cruel, but honestly, it'll give you incentive to work up the courage next time. Right?"

Wrench was silent. She watched as he glanced over her shoulder, eyes slanting sideways in that direction, no doubt to look at the waitress. "Maybe." He eventually said, turning back towards the window. Riley could only see half of his mask this way.

She sighed, sipping at more of her coffee again. "I'm sure you didn't come to this cafe looking for dating advice, so I'll shut up about it. Forgive my nosiness."

"I…don't mind. Just don't bring it up to anyone." He requested.

Riley rested her head on the counter again, groaning from both sleep deprivation and now her growing hunger. Movement caught her eye, and she looked up to see Wrench standing from the stool.

"Leaving so soon?" She asked, and his eyes turned into exclamation points.

"Figured I'd leave you to your coffee. I know how long nights go. Sometimes you just want to be by yourself for awhile, am I right?"

She opened her mouth to deny it, but he told the truth. She'd been looking for caffeine and nothing else. No companionship or social interaction. But she'd also been having a nice time with Wrench. At least, the few minutes they'd been talking. It was rude to just drive him out of the cafe, too. "Yeah, I guess. I just feel like I'm kicking you out of your favorite spot to think."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I was on my way out anyway." That happy expression returned and he fist bumped her shoulder gently. For a split second, he shot her a wink, then sauntered towards the door. "See you around, Riley."

"You too." She managed to wave goodbye before he left the cafe, the door jingling shut behind him. The brunette watched him through the window until he disappeared from sight. She was more awake than she had been half an hour ago, which had been the goal all along, but it certainly wasn't from the coffee. Staring at the cup she'd barely even touched, Riley wondered why that was. Wrench was really interesting to talk to. Trying to figure out how he was feeling and what was hiding behind that mask intrigued her immensely. He was like a puzzle that needed solving.

Maybe that was it.

* * *

 

Wrench shut the door to his garage, flicking the light switch and watched as the bulbs stuttered to life. He'd have to replace those eventually, but for now it could wait. Each footstep on the concrete left a quiet echo around the large space.

Wrench reached up to turn on his desk lamp, then took off the mask, setting it beside the disassembled pieces of a air soft gun. He let out a sigh, leaning against the edge of the surface and massaging his temple. It felt strange not having the mask there, but in the comfort of having no one around, it was bearable. The cold air help him think, too. The cafe had felt much too hot.

Speaking of. Wrench turned to look at the picture of Cara he'd had pasted there for months. It had been a mild source of motivation and, admittedly, hope of something that could be, but now it did nothing more than put a foul taste in his mouth. More so, it made him feel sorry about himself, and he hated that most. He hated pitying himself.

He thought back to what Riley had said. Would he really kick his ass into gear the next time he starting crushing on some girl? Doubtful. Wrench wasn't that good with change. He preferred simple things. Like blowing shit up and hacking. Change was complicated and uncomfortable and…messy.

All of a sudden, he couldn't stand looking at Cara's picture on his board anymore. He stood and ripped the paper from the wall. Crumpling it up and throwing it away was too easy. He grabbed a lighter from the desk, walking over to an empty spot of concrete in the garage. He crumpled the paper up and set it on the ground, flicking the lighter until the flame caught.

It started small, but grew in size and intensity until the whole thing was engulfed. It crackled and grew black, shrinking in size. Small, blackened flakes broke off and piled up on the ground around it. Wrench watched it burn for awhile, until it began dying down. This was a nice way to burn that bridge. Figuratively, and almost literally. Too bad he didn't have a real bridge he could burn. That would have been more satisfying. And symbolic.

Shrugging, he turned heel and grabbed the mask from the desk and headed towards the stairs to the second level. Upstairs contained a few rooms that were probably intended to be offices of some kind, but Wrench had converted them into his living spaces. His room was at the far end.

It was littered with DedSec graffiti. One of the few things Wrench was proud of and held dear. The bed was a mess of comforters and blankets and pillows, upturned and in disarray. His drawer was covered in computer parts, of which the computer sat upon his desk on the opposite end of the room. It was all a perfectly organized chaos, the walls painted black so he could litter it with more colorful artwork, should he feel the need.

He locked the door behind him and set his phone to charge. As far as he was aware, they didn't have any major operations tomorrow, so it should be alright for him to sleep in a bit. He could use the rest. _So could Riley,_ he thought to himself, wondering if she had returned back home already. He wondered if she was still up looking through the data, or if she'd actually gone to sleep. If she was anything like him, she'd work until she physically couldn't anymore. It wasn't a healthy habit, but it was his way.

Riley. His curiosity lead him to think about her some more as he threw himself into the mess that was his bed. Marcus appeared to have been right about her. She seemed genuine, and truthfully out to stop the corruption. Her personality wasn't so bad, either. There was still so much they didn't know about her, though. Wrench felt it would be fun dissecting who she was. And, it was kind of cute, the disheveled look she'd been rocking at the cafe. Racoon eyes and all.

Maybe she wouldn't be a bad addition to the team after all, he thought as he closed his eyes.


	6. Names and Faces

Riley had just finished putting her groceries into her car when she received a text from Marcus.

_You have a moment to meet? Something I'd like to discuss._

She struck a confused face, placing the bags of bread and eggs on top of everything else so they wouldn't be crushed. Shutting the trunk of her car, she wheeled the shopping cart over to the designated return area. On the way back to her car, she sent a quick reply.

**_I'm just finishing up some shopping. I'll drop this off at home and we can talk. Any place in mind?_ **

Part of her was worried. Had she done something wrong? Had her first post not been up to their expectations? They hadn't asked for her help again in the past few days, could they be questioning their arrangement? The other half of Riley knew that she was probably just overreacting and this was all a big assumption on her part. She climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the engine, reversing out of the parking spot and heading towards home.

Her phone pinged, alerting her to a text, but she was in the middle of driving and didn't want to risk an accident. Phone tucked between her thighs as she drove, Riley meant to reply at the next red light she hit. A few streets later and the opportunity arose.

_Union Square, if you can._

**_Yeah, should take me about 20 minutes._ **

Riley sent the message just as the light changed, and she set the phone down to drive again. Thankfully traffic today was lighter. Sundays tended to mean less people on the road, just because most wanted to stay home rather than go anywhere. It was a solid concept. The brunette normally liked being lazy on Sundays too, but she was critically low on food for herself and Pants. If she accidentally ran out for him, well, suffice to say she wouldn't hear the end of it.

Once making it home, Riley spent the arduous task of walking up three flights of stairs several times because of the amount of food she'd bought. Her arms were sore and aching by the end of it, and Pants was freely perusing the bags she'd set on the ground to search for anything that was designated for him. Bringing the last of the bags up with her, she shut the door with her foot, then dropped the bags onto the floor gratefully.

"Shoo, it's not time to eat yet." She said, gesturing the cat away with her hand. Pants wasn't feeling so inclined to go anywhere. Giving up because she was tired and he was stubborn, she quickly sorted and put away the food into their proper places. Nonperishables went in the pantry, and everything else went in the fridge.

With that taken care of, she knelt down and patted the cat's head affectionately a few times. "Alright, buddy. I'm leaving again, so guard the apartment while I'm gone." He purred and rubbed up against her hand. She knew full well he could easily be persuaded should an intruder feed him, so he'd be a useless protector.

Giving Pants a quick kiss, she stood and grabbed her purse, heading back out the door and locking it.

* * *

 

Riley parked in one of the only parking spots left on the street. Despite it being a Sunday, Union Square was one of those places that was always busy no matter what. A commerce and social hub, Riley honestly hadn't had much reason before to visit. Of course, when she'd originally set up in San Fransisco to begin her assignment, she'd staked out many of the more popular locations in the city. This had been one of them, but there hadn't been any reason for her to come back very often.

People milled across the concrete square. Some walked or ran with dogs on leashes. Other played guitar, the cases open to implicate tips were welcome. Some had set up blankets in the grassy areas to sit in the grass, laptops and books stealing their attention. Covered tables lined the square, and most were occupied.

She walked slowly through the center of the square, not quite sure what to look for. Marcus hadn't been too specific with the instructions to meet here, so she just looked around hoping something would become apparent.

Someone sitting at one of the tables started waving in her direction, and she saw it was a dark-skinned man. He was wearing one of those snapback hats and carried the same messenger bag as Marcus did. She smiled, walking towards him.

"Nice to see you again, Riley." He greeted when she approached. He held up his fist, and she bumped hers against it.

"You too." She sat in the chair facing him, shrugging off her purse and placing it in her lap. "All going well?"

"You know it."

"Nice. So, what did you need me for?"

Marcus leaned casually back in the metal chair, eyes glancing around at the milling crowd. "I've been talking with the others, and we've decided that we can trust you. What do you say we have you meet the rest of the team?"

"Oh." Riley sat back, surprised. This had been the last of her expectations. Marcus sensed the surprise in her tone and smirked at her.

"You don't want to?"

Riley hastily shook her head, trying to recover. "No, nothing like that! I just know how cautious DedSec is when it comes to the people they work with and trust. I hadn't thought I'd earned that yet."

"Heh, Wrench said something to you about earning our trust, didn't he?" Marcus laughed with humor. Not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to get Wrench in trouble either, Riley shrugged with a small pout. "Don't worry about it. He was part of the discussion too."

"Well, I'm grateful." Riley smiled, feeling a surge of warmth. This was exactly what her investigation needed. That close trust would gain her access to most of DedSec's information. It would also gain her some valuable friends, too. Of which Riley currently had few.

"So, ready to see the hackerspace?" Marcus clapped his hands together in excitement, leaning forward. Riley was still overwhelmed by how quickly this was progressing, but she was also extremely curious as to the inner workings of DedSec.

"Sure."

Marcus stood and Riley followed suit. He gestured to follow, and she did so. He weaved through the people in the square, going slow enough not to lose Riley in the crowd. They were headed in the opposite direction to where Riley entered, but she wasn't concerned. This was one of the few places that there weren't any parking meters along the street.

They continued until the street was in sight. Marcus was headed towards a nondescript, white van. Riley raised a brow and laughed. "You know, this all seems very serial killer-esc."

"Oh, really? How so?" Marcus glanced back at her as they approached the vehicle, amusement evident in his smile.

She counted off on her fingers. "A vague text asking me to meet you, a white van, not telling me exactly where we are going…what's next, a blind fold?"

Marcus had opened the passenger door to the van, then paused. He looked over his shoulder at her, shrugging apologetically when he showed her the blindfold in his hand. "Well, about that…"

The brunette stared down at the cloth with a sigh, smiling despite herself. "You trust me enough to know your identities, but not the location of your base, is that right?" She took the blindfold and gave Marcus a look.

He rubbed at the back of his neck, laughing hesitantly. "It's nothing personal…don't get me wrong, we do trust you. It's just-"

"No need to explain, I understand." She waved away his attempt at answering, giving a reassuring smile. "We only just started working together. I'd be a little wary too."

Her words seemed to relieve Marcus a bit, and he nodded happily. "Great to hear. Now, let's get you in the seat before putting that on."

She climbed inside while Marcus went to the other side. She slammed the door shut and strapped on her seatbelt. She aligned the blind fold with her eyes, then wrapped it around her head so she couldn't see. The driver side door opened and Marcus climbed inside while she tried tying it behind her head. The angle was awkward, and she couldn't quite see the knot or anything. He must have seen that she was struggling.

"Here, let me." He offered, taking the two sides from her hands.

"Thanks."

The cloth tightened around her head, but not painfully so, and then a second knot secured it there. Riley heard the engine start up, and she settled into the seat. This was all a bit thrilling. Being blindfolded, and taken to an unknown location. She really should be more concerned about her safety. After all, she'd only ever Marcus once before. Logically, she shouldn't be able to trust him this much yet. But he was DedSec. And Riley trusted DedSec. That was all she needed to know.

The van lurched into drive, and began to move. Not being able to see while they moved was a bit disorienting, but Riley quickly adjusted and held onto the handle on the door. She intentionally started distracting her thoughts with song lyrics so she wouldn't unconsciously start keeping track of turns and distances as they drove. They trusted her not to know where they operated, and she'd keep that trust sacred.

"So, any questions for me before we get there?" Marcus asked. Riley smiled, jostled by a particularly bad pot hole in the road.

"Not really. Is there anything I need to know before meeting everyone?"

She heard him laugh from beside her. "We might not be what you're expecting, so don't be surprised if DedSec is a little…different."

"Different?"

"Lots of people call us misfits for a reason."

Riley couldn't keep back the snort of amusement. "I've met Wrench already. Surely none of you are stranger than him?" If they were, maybe Riley was in for a lot more than she had bargained for.

"True. He does stand out a bit more than most. If you can handle him, you'll be fine."

That was reassuring. But it wasn't like Wrench was all that ridiculous. In fact, he seemed almost normal. Hmm, although she didn't know that much about him. He certainly was interesting. Riley looked forward to getting to know him a bit more.

"So, what's your story?" She asked Marcus, turning in his general direction out of instinct. "What got you into DedSec?"

She heard a scoff. "Awhile back, Blume's new algorithm tagged me as the most likely suspect in a high tech equipment theft. Only problem is, I didn't do it."

"Ah yeah, I've heard that system was massively discriminatory." Riley added, nodding in understanding.

"Right?" He agreed, then continued on. "They put me in community service, but no one believed that I was innocent after that. Made life a lot harder."

"I can imagine."

Marcus sighed gently. "I wasn't gonna take that shit lying down, though. Started working on computers, figuring out how they worked, exposing small leaks here and there. Made myself more of a nuisance than anything." He explained, taking them into a left turn. Riley had no idea where in the city they were at this point. "DedSec noticed what I was doing, and offered me a spot if I could erase my ctOS profile."

Riley paused, suddenly nervous. "Am I gonna have to do that?"

"Nah, nothing like that." He chuckled with humor, amused by her nervousness. "It was just a trial to prove my skills to the rest of the group. You won't have to, since you're mainly going to be helping Sitara with getting our name out there."

"Cool." She said, feeling a bit better.

It seemed they'd arrived wherever they were going, because Marcus slowed the van to a stop. The brakes squealed in slight protest underneath them. He threw it into park and turned off the engine. Riley unbuckled her seatbelt but then sat there, unsure of what he wanted her to do.

"Do I still have to keep this on?"

"Yeah, just for a little while longer." He said, opening the driver's side door and closing it after him. He walked around to her side and opened her door, gently guiding her to jump down to the sidewalk. At least, she assumed it was a sidewalk. It felt like concrete under her shoes.

The door was slammed shut behind her, and Marcus lead her forward with a hand on her back. She cautiously moved forward, one hand extended slightly in front of her just in case she bumped into anything. Even if she trusted Marcus wouldn't let that happen, her lack of vision made it impossible not to worry about it.

The concrete under her feet became a short carpet, and the sound from outside was muffled as they entered a building. It was much quieter inside, and Riley began to feel a bit ridiculous. Were there a lot of people in here? How many of them were staring at her, wearing a blindfold and being lead by someone? She could feel her cheeks growing red.

"Just a little further." Marcus said quietly, patiently leading her again.

They walked to what she assumed was the back of the room, then took an immediate left, before Marcus halted her with a hand.

"One second." She heard faint tapping sounds, before some sort of lock disengaged.

Riley couldn't help but laugh. "This is feeling more and more like a real life spy movie."

"Heh, I know. It's pretty sick." Marcus took her arm and pulled her forward, a bit slower this time. "There's a set of stairs here, so take it slow."

Riley did as instructed, thankful for Marcus' guidance and patience. There wasn't a handrail to help, so she just trailed her hand down along the wall to keep her balance. It was made of concrete as well. This felt like a basement of some kind.

The sound of computer keys, and some newly released song faintly playing overhead came into her hearing. She nearly tripped up getting down the final step, but Marcus caught her just in time.

"Alright, you can take that off now." He said, helping to untie it from behind her head.

Riley slid it off of her face, blinking a few times to get used to the light again. The brunette jumped backwards into Marcus upon seeing Wrench's mask a few inches from her face. It flashed two X's at her.

"Fucking-!" Riley cried, causing the masked man to laugh openly. Her heart was racing a million times a minute, and she raised a brow. "Really?"

"I couldn't help it. Ha ha, you should have seen your face!" He doubled over in an attempt to contain his amusement. It wasn't working.

"Obviously you've met Wrench. A bit of forewarning: he can be an ass sometimes." Marcus chuckled good-naturedly.

"Clearly…" She muttered. Riley shook her head and collected herself, examining her surroundings.

She was standing in a concrete basement, as she'd guessed, but it was so much more than that. As soon as you entered, bright and vibrant colors assaulted your eyes, but she was enthralled with it rather than offended. The DedSec name was graffitied all over the place, their logo and symbols everywhere.

To her right was a sectional couch and small living area, complete with lockers and a vending machine. Past that was mostly open space, a few desks spaced out against the walls at intervals. And towards the center of the room was a large wall of over a dozen computer or tv screens. All in all, Riley was impressed.

"Sitara, Josh! Come on over and meet Riley."

A woman, whom she assumed was Sitara, met them first. Her outfit was just as loud and colorful as the greeting wall, but tastefully so. The purple hair, off-the-shoulder cardigan and thigh-high socks were actually pretty stylish together. Not something Riley would have thought of, but still appealing nonetheless.

"Ah, our newest recruit." Sitara said, standing across from her and cocking her hip. "It's nice to meet you finally. Loved the blog post, by the way."

"Glad you liked it." Riley said, genuinely meaning it. She always enjoyed hearing that others liked her work. "Have you seen any sort of difference since it was published?"

She gestured to a laptop on the closest desk. "Hell yeah. Our app downloads have increased about 15%, and I was able to source them from your post."

"How so?" Riley couldn't see how that would be possible to track.

A man in a green hoodie approached next, just behind Riley causing her to jump from fright when he spoke. "We tracked the source coding from your blog post and sequenced it with those phone IP's that have our app data. It wasn't that difficult."

"Damn, are you guys all trying to kill me from fright?" She asked, placing a hand over her heart. His expression didn't really seem all that concerned.

"Sorry." He said simply, standing there awkwardly. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.

"It's alright. I'm assuming you're Josh?" He nodded neutrally, almost inspecting her closely without being overly intrusive.

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm Riley." She cast her glance around the small circle of people, nodding with a smile. "I'm thrilled to meet all of you, officially, by the way. You've certainly been making a name for yourselves, I didn't know what to expect coming here."

"We're not all that bad." Wrench said, shrugging his crossed arms. "Well…sometimes."

"Riley wouldn't have started working with us if she thought we were bad people." Sitara pointed out.

Marcus jumped in with a laugh. "You'll learn to love us eventually. Weird quirks and all."

"I'm sure I will." Riley agreed, looking around at the odd bunch of faces. Josh just watched the conversation quietly. From what she knew of him, he wasn't much of a talker anyways.

Sitara cleared her throat, gesturing to the set-up of paper and colors and graffiti at the foot of the stairs. "Now that we've got introductions out of the way, we'll give you a run-down of our operations here, but let's start with my station. You know, since you and I will be working together on spreading the word."

"Sure." Riley followed after her, glancing around to see the others go back to what she assumed were their own personal work spaces. Marcus wandered over to the couch and lounged. Josh returned to a computer further in, and Wrench stood next to the 3D printer in the center.

"This is where the magic happens." Sitara opened her arms wide, indicating all of the artwork and equipment in her area. "Like I said before. I've spent a long time working on DedSec, making it into the army we need to take down these big corporations."

Riley inspected the various logos and artwork on the walls and floor. "DedSec is your baby?"

"Oh yeah. Guess you could call it my life's work. I've put blood, sweat, and tears into building it from the ground up." Sitara admired her own handiwork, a proud smile settling on her lips. Riley had no doubt that she'd done just that.

"What is it exactly that you'd like me to focus on?"

Sitara turned back to the brunette. "Getting people to download the app, mostly. But also just waking people the fuck up to what's happening." The hacker shrugged and took on a incredulous expression. "Honestly, it's easier getting all this data to expose to the world than it is changing people's minds about it."

Riley nodded slowly, thinking about it. "People don't like realizing that something they'd previously supported or believed in is wrong. Humans are prideful. They don't like being wrong."

"No kidding." Sitara smirked, turning back to the printer to show her how it was done.

* * *

 

Riley spent the next half hour or so learning from Sitara the inner workings of DedSec's 'marketing' campaign, so to speak. She explained the process of graffitiing certain billboards in specific locations, or covering specific messages that would get the most attention. How all of this affected the fans, the dissenters, and just the general public who didn't know what to think of them. The journalist was surprised that Sitara had thought so far ahead and so thoroughly about this, but then again, the woman had been doing this a long time. She'd had a lot of time to learn.

Riley in turn brought up good points of interest for online supporters, and ways to better integrate their art on the web. Most of the information Riley couldn't tell if it actually would help or not, but Sitara was at least polite enough to listen anyway. The brunette honestly couldn't tell how much of a help she was being. Sitara seemed to have everything covered already.

After going over everything she could think of, Sitara lead her over to Josh's desk, where he was busy tapping away at keys and going through lines of code. "I'll let you meet with the others and they can tell you about what they do. We want you to get to know all of us around here."

"Awesome." Riley said, watching as she returned to her workstation. Then the brunette turned back towards Josh, watching as he intently did whatever it was he was doing. "What's all this?" She asked, pointing towards the screen.

Without missing a beat, eyes glued to the computer, he responded. "Rewriting the security codes for the Haum robots. They could come in handy later, and this will make it much easier to hack into one."

"Nice." She said, watching for a few more seconds. He didn't say anything after that, and she tried finding something else to say. "So, what is it that you do for DedSec?"

He gave her a small glance, before focusing on the screen once more. "The others say my coding is superior to theirs. I do a majority of the long-distance hacks."

"I can see why." She leaned closer and pointed to some strings of code he'd already typed up. "Some of this I don't understand at all where you're going with it. A lot more complicated than I'm used to. But it must have a purpose right?"

He nodded, but didn't explain it. Riley gave him some space again, awkwardly biting on her lip as another silence persisted. God, she wasn't very good at this conversation thing was she? Why did she have to be so awkward?

"Where did you learn to code?" He asked out of the blue, fully looking at her this time. She crossed her arms and leaned up against the corner of the desk.

"A friend of mine was really into hacking. He taught me most of what he knew. Went by the name of Cyph3r."

"Cyph3r. I've heard that name." Josh said, frowning as he thought to himself. "He isn't from San Fransisco."

Riley shook her head. "No, we lived in New York. I'm not originally from around here, so…"

"I know. I read your file." He said bluntly. That neutral expression never seemed to change. Riley pursed her lips.

"That's…slightly ominous. But I guess I should have known you guys already knew everything about me."

"Not everything." Josh was quick to correct, shaking his head and looking at her again. "Just what's on the web. Despite what people might think, you can't know everything about a person from their ctOS profile alone. Lots of things can't be measured by a computer."

Riley cocked her head. "Like what?"

"Self-worth. Loyalty. Trustworthiness. Creativity, and other things. The _human_ part of what makes us human. Not everything can be put into a statistic."

Riley opened her mouth but couldn't find anything to say to that. His words were unexpectedly and satisfyingly deep. She'd never thought of it that way. And it was strangely comforting. They were more than just a number and face on a screen. She smiled at him.

"You're right. That's never occurred to me before." Josh must not have known what to say to that, because he just went back to typing at the codes on the screen. Riley took that as a sign that she'd overstayed her welcome. "I'll let you get back to it, but I'm glad we'll be working together, Josh."

"Sure thing." He said, flashing her a small, quick smile. It looked very sweet and cute on him. Josh was just…cute all around. So innocent and genuine. Patting his shoulder gently, she wandered over to where Wrench was tinkering with the 3D printer.

Riley tried walking as quietly as possible to sneak up on him, suddenly popping up beside him out of nowhere. "Whatcha got going on over here?" She asked, hoping to see him jump from fright like she had earlier. However, he only laughed and his mask took on an amused expression.

"Ah, so much to learn, young padawan. I could hear you coming from across the room."

She smirked, then shrugged. "Well, it was worth a shot. But really, what's all this?" Riley spread her hands to indicate the machine.

"This," Wrench said, introducing the machine with a flurry of his hands, "is our amazing-shit-making device."

The brunette raised a brow, unimpressed. His mask turned into three dots, and she made a dismissive gesture. "The name's a work in progress. Anyway," he waved her closer to inspect it, "as long as we have the epoxy, we can make whatever the fuck we want."

"What do you normally make with it?" She smiled at the image of a unicorn adorning the front.

"Eh, you know. We've got this cool jumper car that gets us into hard-to-access places. And a flying drone to scout around with. But oh ho ho," he rubbed his hands together diabolically, "the weapon plans I've got in store? That shit's gonna make some really cool explosions."

Riley laughed, unable to help herself. This Wrench was very different from the one she'd met on the previous few occasions. Before, he was distant. Guarded and cautious. The contrast was almost staggering. And kind of cute. This Wrench was so weird and…well, dorky. "I'd love to see them when they're done."

"Oh, trust me, you'll see them. They'll be _huge_ explosions."

Riley shook her head with mirth, and looked along Wrench's workspace. He had various blueprints and diagrams posted along the board. Some were obviously weapons and guns, while others were a bit more vague and unassuming. Perhaps they were bombs? Who knew.

Intermingling with the designs were posters and printed out memes, solidifying her earlier assessment of him being a big dork. In fact, from what she could discern, the entire DedSec team were big dorks. But that was just fine, because so was Riley. In fact, she was itching to use that 3D printer to the fullest extent. Of course, perhaps they wouldn't want her using it to print off figurines of Batman and Darth Vader, but the retail prices on those things were hella expensive, and she could just print them herself with the right design plans for almost nothing.

She'd have to ask later.

"Are you the engineer of the group?" She guessed, seeing tools and various computer parts stuffed in boxes on the shelf beneath the desk. Wrench leaned against it casually, his eyes turning into X's again.

"Yup. You need something taken apart or put back together, I'm your guy."

She glanced around at the hackerspace again, taking in everything. "Huh. It's cool that you've all got separate strengths. Sounds like the team works well together."

"Oh yeah, haven't come across a problem we couldn't fix." Wrench replied proudly. He stuck a thumb towards the rest of the hackerspace. "Sitara's gave us the face and name, Josh is the brains, Marcus is the brawn, and I get shit done." He summarized jovially, mask indicating his good mood.

Riley couldn't help but reflect his positivity about it. "I'd love to see how you all work together. For such huge information leaks, you're such a small team."

Wrench shrugged. "We do call on our supporters on occasion, but yeah, it's pretty much just us in San Fransisco."

"Do you ever feel overwhelmed? I mean, you're basically taking on the technological backbone of America. Silicon Valley isn't small." She'd been wondering about how a group of four people could do all this damage. They were only human after all. Surely the pressure got to them.

"Hell no, this is the kind of shit I live for." The masked hacker picked up a tool from behind him and waved it around as he spoke. "You'll see. Just wait until we've got ourselves another target."

Riley nodded, taking his word for it. He knelt and picked up the remains of a motherboard for a computer, various wires and cables sticking out of it.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta finishing taking this baby apart. You can stay and watch if you really want to, but it might get boring." He added with a shrug, not wanting to be rude.

She took a step back. "I'll leave you to it then."

He started tear away at the cables and wires, dismantling the motherboard piece by piece. Riley turned and glanced around again at the hackerspace. She was extremely impressed so far. This small group of 20-somethings was able to make serious hits against all these companies with a few computers and some hacking skills? Incredible. The journalist couldn't help but imagine an entire news station with resources and people skilled like this. With the right focus and motivations, a team like that could have the potential to hack across the whole country.

There wasn't anyone new to talk to, so Riley wandered around, gazing at the walls and posters plastered everywhere. Most were memes or DedSec graffiti. She slowly walked through the giant room, taking in all there was to see. The others let her wander, giving her space to look around.

Marcus had been right. They weren't what she expected, but not in an unpleasant way. In her mind, she'd conjured up this dark den with dozens of people tapping away at keyboards. For some reason her mental image had them all wearing black hoodies. Huh. What a cliche.

In reality, DedSec was open and friendly, and welcoming. Just a handful of people trying to make a difference. Trying to get people to care about their privacy and security. Trying to stop those with power from exploiting the rights of the people. Riley could get behind a group like that.

Her wandering brought her over to an empty desk at the far end of the room. The wall in front of it was decorated with dozens of pictures of another man she hadn't met before. Riley glanced down at the desk, seeing dust beginning to gather on the keys and screen. Whoever this was hadn't used this workspace for awhile.

Marcus sauntered up beside her, looking up at the wall himself. They both took a few moments to look over the pictures, before he quietly spoke. "That's Horatio. He was our operations coordinator, and a good friend."

Riley saw the solemness in his expression and kept silent, not wanting to ruin the reverie. He paused but eventually started up again. "The Tezcas kidnapped him and questioned him for information on DedSec. He wouldn't give us up. So they killed him."

"Oh my god…" Riley murmured, horrified by the truth. Past that, she wasn't sure how to respond. Marcus apparently didn't expect anything more, because he nodded slowly.

"We made sure the Tezcas payed for what they did, but Horatio is still gone…He gave up so much for DedSec, believed in it with everything he had…We can't let that mean nothing." Marcus finished with determination. He turned to Riley then. "DedSec isn't just a movement. It's so much more to us than that."

He gestured to the others who were busy working away at their various tasks. Riley thought she caught Wrench looking away quickly when she glanced over, but she couldn't tell for sure. The brunette sighed deeply, beginning to understand that perhaps she was thinking too superficially in terms of what DedSec was.

"I'm coming to realize that." She said eventually, meeting Marcus' eye. They shared a brief moment of understanding, of mutual respect, and of shared pain. Riley may not have known Horatio personally, but the care and love that went into memorializing him here was painstaking and obvious. And any loss of life was sobering.

She had a feeling this was what Wrench had referred to when he'd threatened her before. Of course, the reality was a bit more surreal than she'd imagined, but now she understood his caution in trusting her. He didn't want to see any more of his friends be hurt or killed. Understandable.

Riley was left looking up at the photos, smiles and laughs and silly faces in each picture. _I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you, Horatio. You seem like a good person._


	7. I've Got Questions

Riley enjoyed her time at the hackerspace, getting to know the others and sharing a drink. This almost felt like an exclusive party, and she'd never been to something like that before. It was sort of awesome. The others had asked questions, genuinely wanting to get to know her, which was surreal in itself. The brunette wasn't used to that sort of thing.

They lounged around the couch, some old action movie playing while they talked. It was more for background noise than anything. She doubted any of them were paying attention to it. Riley sure wasn't. In fact, most of her focus was on the masked hacker sitting on the other side of the couch, unable to shake the thought of how cool he was. Even under close scrutiny the mask still looked highly detailed and cared for. It must have been something he made himself. All that love and attention could have only come from him directly.

Riley tried not to be too obvious with her glances his way, but she honestly couldn't help it. Her weakness for mystery was too strong to resist trying to figure him out. He confused her. Solemn and thoughtful while not around the others, playful and sarcastic the next. Truly a curious man. Besides his nickname, he didn't seem partial to share any other personal information about himself. Which only served to interest her more. Who was the man behind the mask?

Not too long after the movie ended and another one began to play, Sitara's phone chimed loudly. The others continued to talk in the meantime while she read the message. It seemed to have pertinent information, because she cleared her throat.

"Hey, Marcus. You down for an op?" She asked, gaining the group's attention.

Wrench groaned and threw up his hands in mock irritation. "Aw, Marcus gets to have all the fun. When do I get a turn?"

"Patience, Wrench." She sent him a gentle smile, chuckling to herself. "You can have the next one."

They all heard him grumbling under his breath, most of the words were unintelligible though, so they all ignored him for the time being. Except for Riley, who watched him closely. His little tantrum was sort of…cute. Her mouth quirked up in a tiny smile. Marcus made a noise of approval which drew her attention away, and rubbed his hands together eagerly. "What have you got in mind?"

Sitara held up her phone. "Kalie says she might have found an exploit for ProviBlue's ATMs." Then she looked over at Riley. "Know anything about something like that?"

The brunette shrugged, finishing a sip of her soda. "No, the ATMs are a separate department in the company. We don't really intermingle."

"Then this is probably a long shot but…you wouldn't happen to have any way to access their data, would you?"

Thinking about it then shrugging, Riley hummed. "Hmm…not really. I'd have to get the codes from either the security office or the mobile banking department. They keep them on servers separate from the rest of the company to prevent fraud or things of _this_ nature." She grinned, amused. "Pretty sure they'd be able to figure out it was me who hacked in if I try."

Sitara nodded, accepting the answer without much disappointment. She hadn't expected a yes anyway, but it didn't hurt to ask. Her eyes turned back towards Marcus. "Let's hope the exploit works then. Wanna check it out?"

"Oh, _hell_ yeah. Send me her location, I'll go meet up with her." He stood from the couch and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. Josh stood as well.

"I'll find the nearest machines for you to test it out." He said, heading back over to his computer. Riley had a sneaking suspicion he'd wanted to go back to his desk for awhile but didn't want to seem rude or something. All that was left was Sitara, Wrench, and herself.

"What do you plan to do with the exploit?" Riley turned to the female hacker, who shrugged casually. The answer didn't appear to concern her much.

"If it works?" Sitara grinned smugly and shifted in her place on the couch. "We'll go full Robin Hood. Steal from those uppity fucks and give to people the system is screwing over."

"Vigilanteism is _so_ in right now." Wrench added, raising his drink in a mock toast. "Think they'll proclaim us as heroes in the news?"

"Doubtful." Sitara chuckled.

Riley was relieved to hear their intentions. For as much good as DedSec did, there could always be hidden problems Riley wasn't aware of. Perhaps they stole for themselves when they wanted to, for no other purpose than personal gain. Riley didn't feel bad about the companies losing money or taking a hit. She just didn't want innocent bystanders or citizens that weren't involved to be caught in the crossfire.

Riley checked the time on her phone and raised her eyebrows. She'd been hanging out with them for several hours already. Had it really been that long? Damn, time had flown by while she'd been learning all there was to DedSec.

"I should actually get going." She said, rising from the couch with a stretch. "I've got lot to do today, unfortunately. Plus, Pants gets grouchy if I'm away all day."

"Ok, I have to meet Pants one day. He sounds like such a sweetheart." Sitara laughed, then paused. "Hmm, we'll want to have someone drive you back. It know it's a hassle, but for right now we want the location of the hackerspace to stay secret."

"I'll take her." Wrench raised a hand, standing gracefully. He gestured dramatically for her to follow and she stood as well. _"Right this way, madam."_ The man said in as posh an accent as he could manage, proceeding to give a half bow.

"Well, thank you sir." Riley gave him a courteous nod and met him at the foot of the stairs.

Marcus had left behind the blindfold for them to use once she left, and Wrench returned from retrieving it. "Could you help me with that? I had some trouble before." She said, turning so she faced away from Wrench. She felt him approach behind her.

"You bet! Now," he said, placing the blindfold over her eyes. His voice was soft right next to her ear, making her spine tingle slightly, "should we decide on a safe word?"

"Gross, Wrench. I'd rather not know about your freakish kinks!" Sitara called from the couch, making Riley blush. She couldn't help but chuckle despite the small amount of embarrassment. Wrench seemed to have that effect.

"At least take me to dinner first." Was her bold reply, feeling the blindfold tighten around her head. Normally she wasn't the type to openly flirt with someone she didn't know all that well, but Wrench's playful attitude helped to coax her own dorky personality to start to show.

He hummed his amusement, happy that she wasn't offended and was playing along. "Nice to have another person around here that can take a joke." He said, his voice moving to be in front of her now.

"Alright…" Sitara interrupted again, hoping they'd get a move on so she didn't have to listen to Wrench's weird flirting any further. She knew how he could be once he got going. "The lady's got places to be!"

Riley adjusted the cloth so it covered her eyes in a more comfortable manner. "Ok, the stairs are gonna be a bit of a problem."

"Just take it nice and slow." He instructed, gently guiding her by the shoulder. She was grateful that he didn't rush her or push too hard. Her hands were stretched outwards just in case. Her shoes thumped against the very bottom step. "Actually, I have a better and much easier plan." He suddenly said.

"What?" She inquired, biting back the yelp that threatened to escape her lips when she felt him pick her up by her shoulders and knees. Riley instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck to balance herself. The spikes of his vest dug into her sides, but there wasn't much to be done about that. She felt him begin to ascend the stairs with her in tow.

"Maybe give me a bit of warning next time?" She suggested, feeling and hearing his low chuckle next to her ear.

"Ah, but the surprise is half the fun!"

She jostled in his grip with each step. It didn't dawn on her until he'd reached the top and set her down that the easiest and most logical solution would have been to wait until getting to the top of the stairs before putting the blindfold on. She was about to say as much, but he was already opening the door to the building Marcus had brought her into to begin with.

"Through here." Wrench said kindly, keeping a hand on her back to keep her centered.

Riley remembered that there were people probably in the building watching her being lead outside. She smiled and laughed to herself. Oh well, they probably didn't know who she was anyway. It wasn't like they'd be able to identify her at a later date. What was the harm?

Wrench must have noticed her grin. "What's so funny? _Do_ tell."

Riley shook her head. "Nothing specific, I just probably look really ridiculous right now."

"Trust me, we've had _way_ stranger things pass through here."

"I don't know whether to be relieved or concerned." She admitted, earning a chuckle from the masked hacker.

"Perhaps a bit of both?"

She was quickly growing to like the sound of that laugh. Riley caught herself, wondering where all these juvenile thoughts were coming from. God, she'd known him for less than a week and already she was thinking this way.

Maybe she'd gone too long without being in a relationship. Her last one hadn't been all that great. Deprivation from pleasant human interaction, that was all this was, Riley tried to convince herself.

Of course, it also didn't help that Wrench was the living personification of mystery and punk. Both traits Riley could help but feel attracted to. Plus, his personality was something akin to a video game or movie character. Sometimes she couldn't be certain if it were all an act or if it was actually his true personality.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her hands hitting a surface in front of her. The sudden obstacle was jarring, and she took a step backward.

"It's just the door. Nothing to be afraid of." Wrench teased, pushing it open himself and encouraging her forward. Her feet made contact with the concrete again, and he lead her over to assumably the same van that Marcus had brought her here in. The brunette heard the door open, and Wrench's hand pressed between her shoulders.

"Watch your step, unless you'd rather I pick you up again?" He suggested eagerly, but Riley smiled, pushing him away with her hand.

"I think I can manage." She navigated with her foot to find the interior of the van, before sliding herself inside. She fumbled to find the seatbelt after Wrench shut the door, then climbed into the driver's seat beside her.

"Should I be worried for my safety with you driving?" Riley asked, only half joking. He came across as the reckless type. Being blindfolded and unable to see their surroundings wasn't helping her confidence either.

"Pff, worry? No need. You're in capable hands." He assured, and she heard him crack his knuckles before turning on the engine. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"You could sound a bit more confident than _that_." He said lightly, throwing the van into drive and launching them forward from the curb. Riley clutched onto the door handle for dear life, hoping that she actually made it back to her car in one piece.

* * *

 

Wrench pulled up to the curb of Union Square, placing the van in park. _"We have arrived at your destination. Thank you for traveling with DedSec."_ He said robotically, his mask displaying two '#' symbols.

He saw her smile from behind the blindfold, hands already reaching up to undo the tie. "I can take this off now, right?"

"I mean, if you don't like wandering around in public with a blindfold, then sure." He approved, watching her blink to adjust to the new light intensity. Riley smoothed down her hair and handed him the cloth. He tossed it into the back carelessly.

"Thanks for bringing me back." She said, turning that smile onto him. Wrench displayed a happy expression in return. That smile was pretty damn cute, he had to admit.

"Sure thing, just be sure to give us a good Yelp review." He flashed her a wink, and she looked away with a smile. The brunette grabbed her bag and opened the passenger door.

"I'll see you guys around, I guess?"

Wrench pointed at her with two finger guns, mask displaying his enthusiasm. "Anywhere there's trouble, you know where to find us."

"I'll keep an eye out for those huge explosions then." She teased, sliding out of the van seat. Before shutting the door, she shot him a peace sign. The door slammed shut and she jogged away towards her car. Once she was far enough away that he could no longer pinpoint her out of the rest of the crowd, Wrench threw the van into drive and started back towards the hackerspace.

On the way, he keyed into Marcus' comm channel. If he wasn't actually on the op himself, he was sure as shit going to at least listen in. "Yo, M! How's the ATM thing going?"

 _"_ _Oh, Wrench, you're missing out, man."_ Marcus laughed in his earpiece. " _You should see the faces of these people when they realize they've suddenly donated $1,000 to charity, ha ha!"_

Wrench once again felt like Marcus got to have all the fun on these ops. When was Sitara going to give him something fun and exciting? It was only fair. "You'd better be recording this. I want to see later."

_"_ _Promise…and hey, I heard Riley went home?"_

Wrench took a left turn a bit quicker than was safe, and a few drivers nearby honked at him. He sent them a kind middle finger out the driver's window. "Yup, heading back now." Marcus hummed suggestively, and he could already guess what the hacker was thinking. Wrench rolled his eyes.

" _Oh really? And how did that go?"_

The masked hacker sighed, making sure Marcus knew the constant inquiries about him and Riley wasn't welcome. "I just drove her back to the park, man. Nothing more."

 _"_ _Uh huh."_ His tone conveyed his disbelief, but Wrench wasn't having it.

"If you've got something to say, say it."

_"_ _Seriously? Were you oblivious to Riley staring at you the whole time at the hackerspace? She's definitely interested."_

"It's the mask, Marcus. She likes the mask." He said in slight disappointment. It wouldn't be the first time, and he knew it probably wouldn't be the last. "And who says I'm even interested anyway?"

 _"_ _Yeah, but is that such a bad thing? I sense a connection with you two."_ The hacker chuckled again when Wrench groaned. " _And don't give me any bullshit about not liking her. I saw you looking too."_

Wrench narrowed his eyes, hands tightening on the wheel. Marcus out of everyone else should have known it wasn't that easy for him. He knew the reason he wore the mask. But he was probably also just trying to be a good friend and encourage Wrench to do something for himself. He didn't blame him for trying, but things were…complicated.

Sometimes it was uncanny how easily Marcus could read a situation, because after a few seconds of silence on Wrench's part, the hacker sighed and spoke again. " _Look, I get it. It's what's under the mask that counts, but how is anyone supposed to know who that is if you don't give them a chance?"_

He knew Marcus was right, but it was a difficult to swallow reality, one Wrench wasn't sure if he was prepared to deal with quite yet. He stepped on the gas to run through a yellow light, too agitated to handle sitting stopped for several minutes.

"Alright, whatever…can we not talk about this right now?" He asked, pain evident in his voice. This wasn't exactly his favorite subject to discuss, and it wasn't like he even knew Riley that well. After meeting her for himself, he doubted she was any sort of double agent or traitor in the making. Those worries had been dashed. But just because she had a pretty face and cute mannerisms—seriously, the way she crinkled her eyes when she laughed was adorable—that didn't mean Wrench should dive in head first into relationship territory. He hadn't even known she existed a week ago.

And who was to say she even cared for what was behind the mask? For someone who didn't care about risks and playing chances, this was one Wrench hesitated in taking. Why did emotions have to be so goddamn complicated and messy?

Marcus must have realized he was pushing the boundaries. " _Sure thing, Wrench. But just think about what I said."_

Wrench disconnected from the channel, choosing to drive the rest of the way to the hackerspace in silence. Normally he'd fill the silence with some of his favorite hard rock, but there was too much on his mind at the moment.

* * *

 

"Come on…" Riley tried again with her coding software, eyes flickering between the different lines of code. According to all of her systems and knowledge of hacking, this code line should work. However, after typing it in, her laptop screen remained on the coding screen. She shook her head, releasing a frustrated breath through her nostrils.

"Goddamn it…just my luck." She reached down and zipped her jacket up a little more to ward off the chill in the night air. It had rained later that afternoon, leaving the night much colder than it had been that morning. Riley hadn't anticipated this, but from everything her leads indicated, the CFO of Elek Motors was supposed to receive an important call from the company. At least, according to his emails.

Except unless she had an audio line to the man's apartment, there'd be no information for Riley to discover that night. Sitting on the building opposite's roof, with a visual on the CFO's penthouse, the journalist was so close to finding out what this phone call was about. Too bad she couldn't hack into a simple security camera.

Her latest attempt, this time reworking it to bounce from one relay point and then to the camera itself, the screen remained the same and she threw her hands up in discouragement. "Fuck!"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she leaned back against the wall on the roof and took a steadying breath. This wasn't turning out so well. She'd assumed she could hack into the security camera to get a visual and audio of the phone call, but it seemed her hacking skills weren't good enough to do even that. What kind of hacker was she?

The CFO crossed in front of his window, drawing Riley's attention. He was looking down at his laptop, walking towards the couch and sitting in front of the tv. Surely, she didn't have much time before this phone call was supposed to happen.

Riley beat her fist into the concrete, giving up. There was something fundamental she was missing, and she didn't have all night to figure it out. Turning to her black duffel bag she'd brought along, she unzipped it and retrieved her high-definition camera. She could at least try catching him in the act of any personal scandal while she was here. There was a very slim chance of it at this point, but something was better than nothing.

Kneeling behind the roof's edge barrier so she wouldn't stand out so much, Riley lined up her camera and zoomed in on the shot. With the zoom, she was able to see that he had opened up Skype on his laptop, sipping from a can of Pepsi as he lounged on the couch. He faced away from her, so she couldn't get a read on his face. There went her last ditch idea of reading his lips. Damn.

The camera clicked softly with each picture she took. Nothing incriminating was happening right now, though. She sighed heavily, feeling like such a shit investigator. This was her job, and she wasn't really doing very well at it.

"I didn't take you as the stalker type, Riley."

She spasmed from fright at the male voice right behind her. "Jesus fucking-" She cried, biting off the last part when she realized it may draw attention from the man she was tailing. Turning in place a second later, she stared up to see Wrench's amused expression lit up on his mask. Heart beating a fast tempo in her chest, she shook her head and let out a shaky breath. "For fuck's sake, Wrench! You're really asking to be punched…"

He chuckled and sat beside her. "You make it so easy though. I couldn't help myself." His happy expression returned to the default X's, and he gestured to the man across from their building. "Who's this fuckstick?"

Riley was able to gain a bit of her breath back, and she waved her hand dismissively. "The CFO of Elek Motors. He's supposed to be taking an important call from one of their business partners tonight, and I was going to try listening in."

"Going to?" He flashed quotation marks, then question marks on his mask. His head was tilted curiously.

"Well if I could actually hack into his indoor security cameras, I would," one hand gestured to her laptop with disdain, "but for whatever damn reason I can't manage it. I've hacked into cameras before. I don't know what I'm doing wrong this time."

"Mind if I have a go?" He asked, meaning to reach for her laptop. Riley nodded, shrugging. He might as well try, since Riley wasn't getting anywhere. Wrench grabbed the device and placed it in his lap, illuminating his front as he typed away at the keys.

"Ah, I see what you were trying to do." He said with a sagely nod, no doubt seeing her coding history in her program. His mask reflected irritation, and he shook his head. "Normally, that should work like you were saying. But I'm willing to bet this guy's got HAUM's 2.0 tech. They're a bitch and a half to hack manually."

"What am I supposed to do differently?" She asked, scooting closer to him to watch him work.

"See, you had the right idea," he pointed at her previous attempts, then down at his own, which was extremely similar, "but you were trying to brute force it directly. Anything having to do with security for 2.0 was updated, making that near impossible, but we figured out you can indirectly establish a connection through other HAUM systems that aren't classified as security."

"Other systems? You mean…like toasters? And roombas?"

"Bingo." His mask winked in response, and she smiled. There was something about the winking emote that she found strangely heartwarming. His attention returned to the screen, fingers tapping away happily. "So, we just key into a few inconspicuous appliances, reroute the outgoing signal to the cameras, and…"

As soon as he hit enter, the screen brought up the live feed for the CFO's penthouse. Wrench displayed it with a dramatic flurry of his hands and Riley let out a relief-filled breath. "Huh. I'm impressed."

"What can I say? I'm a natural." The words themselves were arrogant, but the way he said them prevented her from seriously thinking he meant it in that sense. He passed the laptop back over to her, and she tapped into the audio feed.

"Thank you. This would have taken me all night to figure out."

Wrench shrugged like it was no big deal. Riley turned to fully look at him then, a thought nagging at the back of her mind.

"How did you even find me anyway? And what are you doing out here?"

The masked hacker took the opportunity to get himself comfortable against the wall of the roof, hands tucked behind his head. "Oh, you know. I saw you were in the area from your earpiece's GPS data, and figured I'd say hello."

Riley chuckled. "I should have figured I'm never hidden from you guys."

" _Always watching._ " Wrench said in a lilting tone, waggling his fingers in what was supposed to be a spooky fashion. It only made her smile widen.

"Well, not to sound like you aren't welcome, but the rest of this thing will probably be pretty boring. You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I wouldn't blame you." She didn't want him to feel like he had to stick around since he'd helped. Inconveniencing someone on her part wasn't a comforting thought.

"I was bored before getting here, and this seems more exciting than reading manuals on HAUM's electronics." His mask flickered to a brief angry expression. "Those things are fucking tedious."

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about that one." She said, plugging in her headphones to the computer. Putting one bud in her ear, she offered him the second. "Want to listen?"

"Don't mind if I do." His happy expression returned, scooting closer to her. They both huddled around the laptop screen, and she turned the volume up just a bit higher to hear.

The CFO was speaking to a woman and a young girl on the Skype screen. He gestured animatedly, and the little girl laughed. From what Riley could gather, the two people he was speaking to was his wife and daughter. Perhaps they were away on a trip or vacation. Riley couldn't tell their destination from the background of the screen, unfortunately.

She settled herself into a more comfortable position, knowing that it may be some time before the phone call came. Just to be safe, she continued listening as the guy eventually started reading the little girl a story book. A good ten minutes passed, and Wrench stayed surprisingly quiet beside her. His attention was the the screen too, and he hadn't caught her eye at any point.

Another ten minutes passed, and the Skype call with his family finally ended. Riley perked up, hoping that something would happen. The CFO stood from the couch and wandered over to the kitchen. He waked out of sight of the living room's camera, so Wrench leaned forward and switched to the one in the kitchen, keeping track of their target.

They both watched as he began making himself a sandwich. Riley sighed and propped her chin up on her hand. Wrench laughed at her boredom.

"Investigative journalism not as exciting as you'd hoped it would be?"

She shook her head, glancing over at him. "Nah, I expected a lot more after getting this job. Like I said before, I'm just a really impatient person when it comes to this stuff. But oh well. It is what it is."

"Why'd you decide to do something like this anyway?" He asked, turning to face her instead of the screen.

"It's my assignment. They picked me specifically because I have hacking skills. I'm supposed to expose all the corruption, then the news station will run the story and expose these people on a national scale." She shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.

Wrench shook his head, gesturing outward. "No, I meant why did you decide to be a journalist? You could have done anything else in the world more exciting, but you picked this job. Why?"

Riley went quiet, not sure how to respond. No one had asked her that before. Wrench blinked with his mask, then held up his hands defensively, taking her prolonged silence as displeasure. "Hey, if it's too personal, then forget I asked. No big deal."

"It is, but…" She paused to try finding the right words. "…you guys do deserve to know, I guess."

Wrench cocked his head to the side, eyes turning into asterisks. "Not if it makes you uncomfortable. DedSec may be all about exposing information, but we all have some skeletons in the closet we keep secret. We respect that."

Riley nodded slowly, taking in his words, but then she smiled sadly. "It's not uncomfortable. It's been years, so I've made peace with it. It's just a depressing story. Don't know if you'd want to hear it."

"That's fine. I'm all ears." He placed a hand on his chest to indicate he meant it genuinely.

Riley turned her attention back to the screen, giving herself something to focus on other than Wrench. It was easier that way.

"As anime-protagonist as it sounds, taking this job is a way for me to get revenge of sorts. Or…maybe redemption?"

" _Ooh_ , tell me more." He crossed his legs and leaned forward, head balanced between both of his hands.

Riley shot him a small smile, huffing humorlessly. "My dad used to be a Blume employee. He wasn't minimum wage, but we didn't live like kings, if you know what I mean." Wrench nodded his understanding and she continued.

"Sometimes, he'd have trouble paying his debts and loans. There were times I remember us having to sell a lot of our cool stuff. Over the years we had less and less assets. His motorcycle, my mom's antiques, and then we started running out of things to sell."

"So, money problems. Lots of people have money problems, but how did you get screwed over?"

She finally looked back at him. "My dad's identity got stolen, which only caused the debt problem to get worse. We went to Blume because he worked there, and most of our accounts were through them, and they promised they'd do everything they could to get his accounts back into order, but it went on for months. Whoever stole his identity continued using his credit cards, opening new ones, ruining his credit…" She ticked them off with her fingers, finally shaking her head.

Wrench was taken aback. "He provided proof of identity, right? That should have unfrozen the account and allowed you guys to used it again."

Riley nodded slowly. "Yup. Several times. But because the thief was still using his social and credentials, and they kept denying his proof of identity because of an 'internal investigation,' we never got them open again, and the damage continued worsening." She tucked her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them protectively. "I always had a feeling they intentionally made it impossible, because of his record paying things back late…and he wasn't well-liked within the company. Maybe some sort of vendetta, but I have no way of knowing for sure."

"That's bullshit." Wrench threw his hand up angrily. "And illegal."

"I know. At least, _now_ I do. I was just a teenager then, so I wasn't fully aware of what was going on."

"So, what happened?" He asked, and she could tell he was truly invested in the story.

Riley grinned, a bit more genuinely this time. "Well, one of my friends and I tried to fix the issue ourselves. He was way into hacking and started teaching me so we could do something about it." Her eyes took on a faraway look. "Haven't seen him in years. I wonder what he's up to now…"

Wrench said nothing, letting her have a moment when her smile slowly faded away. A sigh escaped her lips.

"In the end, it didn't help." She grabbed a stray rock from the roof beside her and rolled it between her fingers. It was difficult to look him in the eyes again. "All the stress got to him. He killed himself before we could get anything fixed."

"…fuck, Riley." Wrench didn't know what else to say, shaking his head and looking away awkwardly. The eyes on his mask took on a sympathetic look. Was he supposed to offer more console than that? Hell, he wasn't good in these types of situations. "I'm sorry-"

"It's ok." She quickly interrupted, holding up a hand. Her smile was sad but understanding. "Like I said. It's been years. I've had my time to grieve and process it all. Saying sorry doesn't help much."

Wrench caught himself before he could say sorry again, more out of reflex than anything. He watched her expression, seeing the old pain that was still there, despite her saying she'd had time to process it. He of all people would know what that look meant.

"Soo…you're getting back at Blume because of your dad, right?" She nodded mutely, looking embarrassed. "Well, what about all the other corporations? You seem hell bent on dragging them all down with Blume."

She shrugged. "Aren't they all the same, when you really think about it? How many lives have they all screwed over to make a little profit or weed out the people they don't like? My dad was just one of many. Blume is a global company, but if I can help people realize what a fucked up company it is, maybe they'll lose influence, lose credibility. The rest can fall with it."

"Hey, I feel ya there…I've got no love for any of these major corporations." He gestured aimlessly, displaying his agreement. Suddenly, Riley's eyes widened and she looked up at him quickly.

"I hope you don't think I'm telling you all this so you guys feel sorry for me. I just want you to understand that completing this assignment is really important to me."

"I understand." He displayed his amusement on his mask. "We all feel the same."

There were several moments of silence, Riley not sure what to say and Wrench hesitating to ask his next question. She'd talked about the hard stuff already though, so he figured there wasn't too much harm in asking. "About your family…what about your mom? Or siblings?"

"I'm an only child." She admitted, then sighed as she shifted positions. Her ass was starting to go numb from sitting in one place for too long. "I don't know quite what happened to my mom. She just…broke down. After my dad died, she became abusive. Starting getting into drugs, just led a reckless life in general. As soon as I was old enough to get out, I did. Moved to a separate city, started going to community college on a scholarship for 'at risk students,'" she quoted the air, "and eventually got my degree in journalism."

Wrench crossed his arms, eyes appearing to close on his mask. "You ever keep in touch with her?" He asked, referring to her mom.

"No." She said immediately, perhaps quicker than she'd intended. He could see the conflict in her eyes. Obviously this was a touchy subject too. "I don't want anything to do with her, honestly. But…" She sighed, tilting her head and meeting his gaze again. "I still keep tabs on where she is, what she's doing. Just to…I don't know…it's…difficult to explain."

"Family can be messed up." Wrench agreed, nodding slowly. "But even if you got in contact with her, it sounds like she wouldn't change. So, maybe this is for the best? I don't know. I'm no shrink." He eventually shrugged, not wanting her to think he was being cold about it.

"Yeah, maybe." She trailed off, leaning her head back to look up at the stars in the night sky. Wrench did the same. Both of them kept an ear out for any sign that the CFO had taken that call, but there was nothing yet. Wrench realized he'd moved back to the living room and changed the view in the camera to keep him in view. He was lounging on the couch again, watching tv.

"How long did it take you to move out to San Fransisco?" As far as he was aware, she didn't seem like she'd been around here for very long.

Now that the topic of discussion had moved on from her depressing past, her real smile returned. Wrench had missed it, he realized. Her sad smile was nowhere near as infectious. "About a year or so ago. I stuck around New York for a couple years, then decided I wanted a fresh start." She looked back down at the laptop, then shrugged. "Across the country felt far enough."

"I'll say. I grew up around here so I can't imagine picking up everything and hauling ass across the whole country. Sounds sort of…scary."

That earned him a soft laugh from her. "It was. I had no idea what I was getting into. That's part of the reason I got Pants. He's an asshole, but he helps me keep focus, and serves as a reminder to relax when I can." She leaned against the wall of the roof again, wrapping her arms around her torso. It felt like it was getting colder. That, or the wind was picking up.

Wrench shook his head, not answering that one.

There was another moment of easy silence, neither feeling too inclined to fill it with conversation. Wrench was amazed he didn't feel uncomfortable just sitting there next to her. She was so easy to talk to, because he wasn't worried she'd judge him for saying the wrong thing. Something about her just put him at ease. Hell, this was a new experience.

Riley's head righted itself and she gave him a wide smile. "Enough about me though. Tell me a little about yourself. What made you get into hacking? How did you join DedSec?"

Wrench tensed, eyes turning into circles before avoiding her gaze. "Uh…" He said, not sure what to say. Riley may feel so inclined to share her story, but Wrench was another matter. The silence stretched, and this one was uncomfortable at best. Riley waited patiently for him to continue, but when it became clear he wouldn't say anything more, she gave him an understanding smile.

"It's ok. You don't have to tell me."

"…thanks." He said, glad she didn't appear too disappointed in him. Why her opinion of him mattered so much, he couldn't guess, but it did. He didn't want her to think ill of him. At the same time, his past wasn't open for sharing to anyone. Hell, his closest friends didn't even know the full story. And he'd only known Riley for a week.

She stared at the screen again. Wrench couldn't help but feel she was still somewhat disappointed in his unwillingness to share anything about him, so he relented and offered up something that wasn't too incriminating. "I can't tell you why or how but…I basically taught myself how to code. Everything I know, I had to figure out myself."

That piqued her interest, and he was pleased to see that small smile return again. "Hell, really? I can't imagine learning some of that shit on my own. How'd you manage it?"

He shrugged, eyes displaying his pleasure at having her interest again. "Wasn't easy. I like to think it was 20% because it interested me, 5% boredom, and 75% to spite everyone I knew." He flashed her a quick wink. "Even so, there's nothing I love more than breaking things apart and putting them back together."

This made her laugh openly. "You know, that doesn't surprise me. Loud and destructive sounds more like you. Hacking is too…" She struggled to find the right word. "…clean, to fit your personality."

His mask displayed two equals signs, showing irritation. "If that wasn't so accurate, I'd be offended. As it stands, I'll take it as a compliment."

"I meant it as one, so…"

Wrench tilted his head, question marks replacing the equals signs. "I can't quite figure your personality out, though." He said thoughtfully, resting his head on his hand and peering at her. Riley pursed her lips and shrugged.

"Guess I haven't really had a reason to show it."

"Well what sorts of things are you into? And please don't say country music or some shit." He pleaded. She shook her head.

"Nah, I can't stand country." Riley thought about it, drawing a blank when actually put on the spot to describe what she liked. "I don't know, I've always been big into movies."

Wrench perked up at the word movies. "What kind?"

"Action, comedy, sci-fi, uh…superhero movies? Anything but romcoms, ugh." She grimaced at simply the thought.

Unable to stop himself, Wrench flashed hearts on his mask. "What about Predator? Or Batman? Star Wars?" He questioned hopefully, clasping his hands together in excitement.

Riley put on a dramatic face. "Here we are again bro, just you and me. Same kind of moon," she gestured up at the moon, half hidden behind some clouds, "same kind of jungle."

"Aw, _hell_ yes!" He gave her a fist bump, pumped to have another potential movie marathon buddy back at the hackerspace. Marcus had been taking on a lot more ops lately, Josh wasn't ever thrilled to watch movies with him, and Sitara didn't like his movies. Which left him with no one to watch with. Perhaps Riley could be that person.

"God, I haven't had time to watch a proper movie in a long time though." She lamented, running her fingers through her hair.

Wrench realized he was still flashing the hearts, and quickly switched them to his normal happy expression, hoping she wouldn't read too much into it. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her away. "You and me will have an all-day movie marathon next chance we can, starting with Predator."

"I'm down." She said, smiling back at him. She was just as excited as him, liking the thought of a movie buddy.

_"_ _Hey, Travis, it's me. Had some things to take care of first, so sorry for the delay."_

A voice coming through the headphones caught both of their attentions. Wrench and Riley both turned to see the CFO wandering around his living room, talking on his cell phone.

"Finally! About damn time. I'm freezing my ass off here." She muttered, navigating over to her notes. Wrench scooted to the side so she could type without getting in her way. Adjusting the earbud in her ear, she zoned into focus on the audio and notes, tuning out everything else.

Wrench watched her for several minutes, finding her intense focus on what she was good at adorable. Riley payed him no mind, attention entirely on the camera feed.

He'd come out here on a whim, and it felt like he should take his leave. She was working now, and he didn't want to accidentally distract her. Wrench backed up as quietly as he could, knowing she probably couldn't hear him anyway.

Smiling to himself, he stood and walked backwards, ensuring he hadn't drawn her attention. Her eyes were glued to the screen. And without looking back again, he walked to the edge of the roof and hopped down to the next level below, running off without her knowing.

* * *

 

It wasn't until half an hour later, her fingers cramping from typing to so quickly and so much, that Riley realized Wrench was no longer next to her. She spared a moment to glance around, searching for the masked hacker, before having to return to taking down the contents of the phone call.

A part of her was disappointed he'd left without saying goodbye, but Riley was aware of how she could get while working. Perhaps he didn't want to disturb her work, in which case she felt a pang of warmth. All the little things he did, she couldn't help but feel grateful for how understanding he was.

The CFO continued talking, but Riley felt a little happier, even freezing up on the roof like she was. Wrench was definitely mysterious, and she'd have a hell of a time solving the puzzle that was his personality.

* * *

 

The silent watcher snapped a few extra pictures, relieved that the masked freak finally left. It was a miracle he hadn't been spotted, but the information the woman provided was worth the risk. Packing up his equipment, he stood from his perch on a nearby roof and disappeared inside.


	8. Disadvantages of Monotony

Riley felt a wave of relief flood through her veins after the final list of data was loaded onto the USB drive. The total amount DedSec had needed this time took up three whole USB drives. Ejecting the drive from her computer tower, Riley stuffed all three into her bag before anyone was the wiser.

She'd stopped questioning what DedSec needed the data for, because honestly, what did it matter anyway? They were going to use it against the big corporations to fight the injustice. She wasn't worried as far as their intentions went. The only issue was Riley didn't have enough USB's to transfer all this data. At this rate, she'd run out of usable ones by the end of the week. She'd have to start asking them to provide their own.

**_Got it all._ **

_Nice, Riley. I'll meet you at The Progress once you're off._

Marcus named a unique American restaurant on the eastern side of the city. It was a bit of a ways off from her commute home, but she didn't mind. They were probably out in the area doing other ops and wanted a middle ground to meet.

**_No problem!_ **

As usual, she deleted the messages to avoid any tracking or tracing. It was becoming a routine of sorts, keeping her movements involving DedSec a secret. Almost normal. She smirked, thinking that the definition of normal had certainly changed within the span of a few days.

Her late night, coincidental meeting with Wrench was one thing. The brunette hadn't anticipated readily admitting her reasonings for getting into journalism to these near strangers, let alone confess what happened to her dad. The pain she felt when thinking about it was numb compared to years back, but it still was a touchy subject. Not many people knew what to say when she brought it up, and Riley hated making things awkward.

Wrench had taken it in stride, though. Sure, he didn't know what to say initially, but he hadn't stopped talking to her entirely, changing the topic of discussion to something a bit easier to talk about. Of which she was glad. He was an intriguing person. She'd hate to lose the privilege of being on speaking terms because of her loose lips.

She couldn't help but smile, thinking back on her conversation with the masked hacker. He'd been so courteous and lighthearted. His normal attire left you with certain impressions, but once you got to know him a bit more, the sheer amount of passion and energy he exuded crushed any preconceptions one might have formed.

One half of her wondered why he'd been so hesitant to talk about his joining DedSec. Surely something like that couldn't have been anything too dramatic, right? Of course, the world was a cruel place. There was no telling what he may have gone through before teaming up with the hacker group. Perhaps that played some part in it. And the further she wondered about the reasoning why, the more Riley felt like an asshole for feeling disappointed that he hadn't felt the need to share with her.

It wasn't her to know everything about him. She wasn't entitled to his backstory. And yet…he was such a contradiction. That's what made him so damn interesting. Who was he really? Riley wanted to know, despite all of the logic that told her she should mind her own business.

DedSec as a whole was another addition to her life that was surprisingly smooth and exciting. Everyone was very kind. Marcus and Sitara were very patient with her as she learned the ins and outs of the group. Josh didn't talk all that much but what he did say was always meaningful and well thought out. She was willing to bet there was so much going on up in that head of his that perhaps he didn't have time to say it aloud before he was jumping to the next problem that needed solving.

The phone ringing on her desk startled her out of her thoughts, and she cleared her throat before turning on her headset. Settling into her seat, she pulled up the accounts system and took the call coming through.

"ProviBlue loan services, this is Riley, how can I be of assistance?"

The customer was inquiring into the loan process and Riley prepared herself for a very lengthy conversation. She sighed inaudibly and rolled her shoulders, willing herself not to fall asleep. It was only halfway through the day. Several hours before she could go home. Ugh. And it was only Monday. That made it all the worse.

* * *

 

Marcus hopped up from the couch in the hackerspace, groaning as his back straightened from his hunched position. "Alright, gang. I'm off to get that data from Riley." He said, putting one of his earbuds into his ears for his music.

Sitara nodded and went back to her art, while Josh continued coding from his desk. Wrench was over tinkering with some odd electronic or another, but upon hearing that Marcus was leaving, he perked up and dropped what he was doing.

"Marcus, wait up!" He called, jogging to catch up with the hacker at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah?" Marcus asked, turning to face his friend.

"You know, you've been running a lot of ops lately." He said in a convincing tone, laying an arm over his shoulders casually. Marcus was instantly suspicious. "I could get the data from Riley for you, and you can get caught up on the rest of your well-deserved rest." Wrench shot him a playful wink.

The masked hacker walked with him up the stairs towards the door to the hackerspace. "Uh huh." Marcus replied in a monotone. "Picking up data sounds too mundane for your tastes, Wrench. Why the sudden interest?"

The masked hacker looked taken aback, almost offended. "I'm offended by your implication, sir." He said in a fake accent, then switched back to his normal voice. "Sitara's given you all the jobs lately. It's my turn."

Frowning in confusion, he wondered what Wrench's motives were, and then it clicked. His expression cleared, and the hacker turned an amused and knowing gaze onto the anarchist.

"Ohhh, I see what's going on." Marcus implied with a slow nod, stopping three quarters up the stairs and crossing his arms. The two hackers turned towards each other, but Wrench had the gall to flash two circles on his mask. It was either surprise, or him feigning not knowing what he meant.

"What?" Wrench asked, his head tilted slightly. Marcus wasn't buying it, and narrowed his eyes further with a widening smile. " _What?"_ He spread his hands wide, still pretending not to know.

"Don't play stupid with me, Wrench. You're a terrible liar."

"I have no idea what you're implying here." The hacker replied in a suspiciously defensive tone, eyes shifting into sideways glances. His flippant demeanor was all Marcus needed to confirm his gut feeling.

Personally, he was glad Wrench was moving on from the waitress at the cafe. He'd noticed that the picture of her had been ripped off of his board at his workspace. You didn't have to be a genius to figure out what had caused it. Either she had a boyfriend now, or Wrench had tried asking her out and been rejected. And, if he knew even a little bit about Wrench, it was most definitely the former option. The guy was headstrong and outgoing, but when it came to girls and relationships? Hell no.

Marcus gestured to the stairs leading out of the hackerspace. "If you wanted to see Riley again, you could have just said so. No need to act all coy about it." Marcus offered, earning a punch in the arm and a glare from his friend.

"That's _not_ what this is about."

"Oh, really?" He laughed to himself, shaking his head to indicate he didn't believe Wrench. Still, he kept his voice down so the rest of the team wouldn't hear them from downstairs. "Just want her all to yourself then? Is the Wrench getting jealous?"

Wrench's eyes changed into angry slashes. "Fuck you, man. Forget I asked." He turned to go back to his workspace, but Marcus grabbed the back of his vest and stopped him.

"I'm just giving you a hard time, Wrench. Go for it, go see your girl." He pushed him up the steps in encouragement, offering a slap on the back as his support, and then walked back down to the hackerspace.

"She's not my-!" He called after him, but realized Marcus wouldn't listen anyway. It was a waste of breath.

Wrench played with the thought of returning as well, preserving his pride and trying to prove to Marcus that it didn't matter that much to him, but he also wanted to see Riley again. So, hoping that his hacker friend wouldn't start talking out of turn to the rest of DedSec, he climbed up the rest of the stairs and went out the door.

* * *

 

Sitara frowned when Marcus reappeared at the bottom of the stairs. "Weren't you going to get that data from Riley?" She asked, confusion evident in her voice.

Marcus chuckled. He tossed a thumb over his shoulder, winking. "Wrench has it covered."

She smiled a little, not quite sure what he was implying, but knowing there was something going on here. Raising a brow in a silent question, Marcus only shook his head and wandered off over towards the couch, pulling a game up on his phone.

* * *

 

By the time Riley made it to the restaurant, she spotted a very familiar stud-covered hacker standing in the alley beside it. Smiling, she pulled into a parking spot and wandered over to where Wrench was standing. She could hear his amused and muffled laughter as she approached.

"What's so funny?" She walked up in front of him, noticing he was looking down at his phone. The eyes on his mask flashed his happy expression, and he turned the phone towards her.

"I've been…keeping this guy…" His sentence was interrupted by laughter he struggled to stifle. "This guy's been stopped at this stop light…for over ten minutes!"

The screen of his phone was from the point of view of a traffic camera, which was zoomed in on one car in particular. The occupant appeared to be screaming into a cell phone, gesturing madly at the light. He kept glancing around at the people who were stuck with him, shaking his head and indicating he didn't know what was going on.

Riley felt a smile growing on her face. "Who is that?"

"It's…it's some douchebag who works for Tidis." Wrench was able to take control of most of his chuckling now, holding his torso to stop the spasms. "I found out he's got four unpaid speeding tickets, and I felt like this was the perfect poetic justice."

"Oh my god." Riley laughed, unable to help it. It was probably super frustrating for everyone who was stuck behind the guy too, but seeing his outraged and maniacal freak out was too hilarious not to find it funny. "That's so evil."

"You're too kind." He joked, bowing gracefully.

Too bad the traffic currently with the green light didn't have any breaks, otherwise he might have been able to just run the light and continue on his way. She never thought she'd be saying it, but she was for once glad that San Fransisco's traffic could get so bad.

Finally, Wrench seemed to relent enough to change the stop light, because the guy threw up his hands and stomped on the gas pedal before it could happen to change back any second. Wrench disconnected from the camera feed and tucked his phone in his pocket, turning to look at her fully. That pleased expression didn't leave his mask.

"Marcus said you were delivering _the goods._ " He said in a lilting tone.

Riley raised a brow, playing along. "Only if you've got the cash."

Wrench pretended to dig through his pockets, eyes displaying his fake panic when he couldn't find his wallet. "Uh…hmm…well…maybe we could put this one on my tab?"

Riley laughed, reaching in her bag to pull out the USBs. "Just this once."

He took the offered USBs and tucked them into his back pocket, shooting her a wink. "Much appreciated."

Riley shrugged, brushing a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Eh, it's not like I'm doing much. Just moving some data."

Wrench's happy expression changed to show two question marks, and he tilted his head. "What? Of course you are."

"I don't see how-"

He waved away her denial, shaking his head. "Just associating with us and helping our cause is more than we could ask. We're aren't exactly well liked by the public, so you're sticking your neck out for us."

"I guess." Riley said, warming up to the idea that she was indeed associated with DedSec. She'd originally thought of this as a separate partnership but…how exactly did the rest of the group see it? Maybe it wasn't as strictly professional as she'd initially thought it would be.

Wrench's mask displayed the default Xs again. "Support in any form is helpful. Especially to Sitara."

Riley wouldn't bother saying that she still didn't feel like she was doing much, but smiled up at him quietly instead. He was really trying to convince her otherwise, so she'd let him have this win.

"Now, enough with the mushy shit. I've gotta this this sweet data back to the hackerspace." He turned towards the car that was parked further down the alleyway, pointing towards it. "You coming?"

Part of her wanted to ask why he showed up in a different vehicle each time they met, but she had a feeling she knew the answer. "Nah, I've got to finish the draft of my next post. Plus, Pants is probably whining because he hasn't been fed yet."

His mask showed two equals signs, perhaps from annoyance, and finally shrugged. "The cat will be fine but…alright, suit yourself."

Wrench made it all the way to the door, gripping the handle, before pointing at her accusingly. "I'm holding you to that movie marathon, though. No backing out!"

"I wouldn't dare!" She replied with a smile, watching as he got in the vehicle and started up the engine. She took a few steps to the side, placing herself out of the way so he could drive out into the street.

The car started forward. Riley gave him a wave as he passed. "See ya, Wrench!"

He flashed her a wink, and it sent a pang of…some sort of feeling through her chest. A pleasant feeling. She tugged on the strap of her bag, walking back towards her own car once he disappeared from sight.

And as suddenly as she had grown warm inside from the possibility that…maybe he liked her…it was dashed. Surely, Wrench was just a flirt. Right? Did he talk like that to everyone he knew? His personality surely felt that way…Her smile fell a little, and she reached her car. Climbing inside, Riley tossed her bag into the passenger seat, then stared at the wheel for a moment.

He barely knew her. And the strength of her attraction to him was honestly a bit creepy on her part. She barely knew _him._ Maybe her love of fictional video game and movie characters was getting the better of her, comparing him to those she couldn't help but love in her favorite media, and somehow transferring that obsession onto him? There really wasn't a straight answer to this. All Riley knew was that maybe her feelings were much too strong for only having known him less than two weeks.

Expletives directed at herself for getting distracted while on assignment was her only thought while driving home. But as soon as she pulled into her designated covered parking spot, Riley couldn't help but tell herself that it was ok to get a little distracted. Maybe she was working too hard. Maybe she could afford doing something for her. Talking to someone for her benefit, instead of the assignment's.

Her smile returned as she stepped up to the door of her apartment. Yeah, that had to be right. Even if he didn't like her, she could count him as a close friend. Riley knew herself well enough to know the romantic interest probably wouldn't go away until he either straight up rejected her or she was sure of his own feelings. But she was adult enough to be able to hide them away without letting them distract her from the job that needed to be done.

Pants was yelling at her as soon as she opened the door. Riley could only guess at what he was trying to say. Where have you been? Do you know how long I've waited here, for you, to come feed me? We've been over this before, I need my food. You've been late way too many times this week and honestly I'm worried you aren't treating me as I should be treated. So help me if I had thumbs, I'd call animal control to take me to a better home. Where they feed me on time.

Riley only knelt down and patted his furry little head, scratching between his ears affectionately. "You know I love you, Pants. You're the best douchebag cat I could have asked for."

This seemed to tide him over for a minute while she got out his food and finally provided him with something to eat. He scarfed it down in record time, ignoring her while he chomped away. At least he was satisfied. For now.

She went about her normal routine of getting into pajamas and eating her own microwave food. Riley liked the routine, but after having such unique people around like those at DedSec, she realized just how sad and lonely it must seem to live her life. Wake up every weekday for a 9 to 5 job, spend her nights working on _another_ sort of job, then use her weekends to follow more complicated leads, attend to grocery shopping, laundry, and other upkeep of her apartment. It was so…boring.

That morose feeling loomed over her again, and she found the smile faded from her face. Riley didn't mean to be so depressing, but…hell, everyone had the right to feel down about themselves every so often. She was no different than anyone else.

Deciding that she would forgo the recordings she had of that day, Riley curled up in front of her tv with her laptop and played the next episode of some new series she'd been thinking of watching on Netflix.

While it played in the background, catching her attention every once in awhile when something exciting or noteworthy happened, Riley began working on the next post she intended to share for DedSec. If Wrench said it helped, then by god she'd make sure it was of the highest quality.


	9. Dance Your Heart Out

DedSec must have been extremely busy doing other hacks and operations. Riley hadn't heard from them much the rest of that week. She was thankful that at least it went by rapidly, mostly because her job at ProviBlue became jam-packed with people suddenly taking an interest in loans. She wondered if people remembered the leak of information not even a week earlier at all, or if they were all just that stupid. Why would you place your trust and loan services with a company known to open false accounts and unauthorized programs in your name? The brunette would never understand.

Of course, she wasn't entirely ignored by the hacker group. Strangely enough, Wrench had decided to make it a habit of checking up on her every other day or so. Sometimes a few times a day, depending on what was happening. It wasn't ever for long conversations, but just a friendly update on what DedSec was up to. She appreciated his thoughtfulness, feeling like she was actually being included in the group.

Plus, she also got the chance to talk to Wrench, which was a good thing in of itself.

The brunette had been surprised to feel lonely, thinking that there wasn't any reason for her or DedSec to contact each other. She came to realize that she missed the odd group of hackers. They were a rowdy bunch, but fun company. Riley hoped there was reason to get in touch soon.

The work week had come and gone, and Riley got home that Friday evening feeling thankful that she'd finally be able to sleep in the next day. Feeding Pants without much protest from him, she walked over to her bedroom to change into something more comfortable.

Before she got the chance, her earpiece vibrated, indicating someone was trying to contact her. She pressed the button to accept.

"Hello?"

_"_ _Hi Riley, It's Josh."_

Her eyebrows shot up, not expecting to hear from him. Besides their first meeting, she hadn't had any further contact with Josh. Nonetheless, she gave a small smile and responded.

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

_"_ _Marcus asked me to let you know about a DedSec party tonight. One of !Nvite's presidents is out of town for a few days. Sitara decided to throw a party in his penthouse. You're invited, if you wanted to go."_

"Uh, ok. That's kind of crazy." She laughed to herself, slowly becoming accustomed to the illegal yet sort of tempting things that DedSec continued to do. "If it's tonight then, uh…sure, I can come."

Normally Riley wasn't one for parties, but it was a Friday night. She'd caught up with all of the data DedSec had given her, and she'd all but given up on the recordings from work. Tomorrow morning she had nothing to do so…why not?

 _"_ _Great. I'll send you the address and time."_ Josh seemed just a tad more expressive with that response than anything she'd heard from him, so perhaps he was glad she was going. Riley couldn't tell. Shrugging, she thanked him and they disconnected the channel.

As promised, Josh sent her the information via text, and she looked over the details. It was a place on the other end of town. There wasn't all that much time before it was supposed to start either.

For several moments she just stood in the middle of her closet, looking around at all the clothing she owned. Damn, did she not own a single party dress? A quick rifle through her rack indicated that no, she really didn't. Most were business formal for use in keeping undercover for her assignment. In terms of just-for-fun clothing, Riley was sorely lacking.

Abandoning any hope that she'd be able to make one of her dresses work, Riley changed into her nicest pair of jeans that she thought made her ass look pretty good—she did a few glances behind her in the mirror just to be sure—and one of her flirtier blouses. It wasn't exactly club material, but it was better than a t-shirt and hoodie.

A quick touch up of make up completed the ensemble and Riley inspected the end-result in the stand-up mirror. Nodding, finding it good enough for the occasion, she found a comfortable pair or heels to go with it and went back into the living room to wait until it was time to leave.

* * *

 

Riley parked up the street from the building where the !Nvite employee's penthouse was, and already she could hear sounds of fun and loud music. She put enough money in the meter to last her for about three hours, because she honestly couldn't see herself staying any later than that.

She walked up the sidewalk and reached the building's main lobby. A few stragglers from the party were downstairs on phones or drinking from beer bottles. Riley passed them and went straight for the elevator that would take her to the top floor. She pressed the button and waited for it to come to the bottom floor.

After a moment, the button lit up, and the doors opened. She stepped forward to board the car, but stopped when she saw a couple obliviously making out with each other without knowing they'd even been sent to the first floor. Riley's cheeks began to burn red, and she turned heel to find the stairs instead.

10 flights of stairs later, nearly out of breath, Riley came to the top floor. The music was at an ear-throbbing volume, pulsing through her eardrums borderline painfully. The penthouse was crowded, and surprisingly clean. Riley would have expected it to be wrecked or vandalized, but it was in relatively good condition. Although, they hadn't finished partying yet. Perhaps that came later?

She shimmied her way through the crowd, looking for any sort of familiar face. The crowd laughed and sang and danced around her, holding beer bottles and bongs, and other paraphernalia regarding drugs. She wrinkled her nose in distaste, but didn't dwell on it. People could do what they wished.

"Riley! You made it!" A female voice cut just above the crowd to be heard. She turned, spotting Sitara making her way towards her. The brunette smiled and met her halfway.

"Thanks for inviting me! It's nice of you to have thought of me."

Sitara waved the thanks away. "Of _course._ You're a part of DedSec too, girl. We don't forget our friends. Now," she waved over to the bar, obviously slightly drunk already, "you are suspiciously without a drink. Let's fix that."

"Actually, I-" Riley automatically started to say her polite refusal of a beer, but stopped herself. Sitara raised a brow and waited for her to finish. The journalist thought about it, figuring that if she were here to party, she'd at least wind down and relax a little. She eventually grinned. "You know what? I'd love a drink."

"That's what I like to hear!" The female hacker laughed, guiding them both over to the bar.

Riley took another moment to appreciate the bumping, energetic music playing overhead. She wasn't really a party person, so it would take some time to get used to the atmosphere. Sitara must have noticed her tense shoulders and awkward glances.

"Not really a party girl, are you?"

Riley shook her head, leaning down to grab a beer from the cooler. "Nah, not really. Last time I went to a party like this it was back in college."

"Oh? How'd that go?" Sitara's brow was raised in interest, a smile tugging at her lips.

"About as well as you'd expect a community college party surrounded by three different liquor stores to go." She admitted with a shrug, popping the bottle cap off. They both laughed and clinked their bottles together.

"Well, we might not be as crazy as that, but we know how to have a good time." The hacker said, eyes scanning over the crowd with satisfaction. Obviously, she was proud of the party she'd put together.

"Sitara! Come check out this billboard I tagged yesterday!" A girl called from across the room, holding her phone up in the air.

She looked over to who it was and slapped Riley gently on the shoulder. "They're calling me so…have fun, enjoy the party, and, uh, maybe go home with someone if that's your thing?"

Riley's eyes widened at the implication, her face going red. Sitara bust out laughing at her expression.

"I'm kidding! Well, kinda. You do you, Riley. I'll see you later." And with a wink, Sitara walked off to see the woman who'd called for her.

Shaking off the feeling of embarrassment, she watched the hacker wander off in the crowd, losing her in the people after a moment. Riley sipped at her beer slowly, knowing that she was a lightweight. Getting drunk off her ass as soon as she arrived at the party wasn't a pleasant thought. The least she could do was enjoy the party before being unable to remember it.

Feeling awkward by standing beside the bar, Riley decided to mingle a little. She slowly wedged her way through the crowd, dodging people dancing and smoking and drinking. People were dressed in all manner of clothing, from skimpy dresses to ratty jeans and hoodies. A few sported their DedSec skull masks, horse heads, or those colored bodysuits that covered your face. It made her feel a bit better about her own outfit. It seemed no matter what you wore, you'd fit in here. Huh. That seemed to be a theme within DedSec.

 _Bring us your freaks, for they shall be welcomed,_ Riley thought to herself with a smile.

Eventually she made her way into the main living area of the penthouse. Two large couches were arranged around a flatscreen tv, mounted onto the wall across. The couches were packed. Sitara sat on the arm of one, talking to the girl who'd called out to her earlier. Riley spotted Josh on the other end, eyes fixed to his laptop screen. He seemed unable to go anywhere without some form of technology at his fingertips.

He seemed in a conversation with someone beside him, but she couldn't hear. Perhaps they were discussing code? Josh glanced to the person beside him, then cast his gaze around. He saw Riley standing there, and gave a small nod.

The brunette raised a hand, before leaving him to his business.

The natural flow of the crowd directed Riley towards the outdoor patio. Because the penthouse was the top floor, she stepped out into the open to see a brilliant view of the city below. Perhaps ten floors wasn't much in comparison to the rest of the skyscrapers dotting the city, but it was enough to give her a view she would kill for. Her own apartment sat against taller buildings, meaning she only saw metal framework and glass as her daily view out the window. The sun was beginning to set against the horizon, making it difficult to see without squinting.

The music from inside faded, but a DJ station set against the opposite edge of the patio created just as much noise. Some guy in a DedSec mask manned the station, keeping the dancers and partiers energized with his mixes. Riley sat back against the edge of the barrier lining the roof and observed the dancers go at it.

They gyrated and flung limbs around in a dizzying and uncaring fashion. She was willing to bet most, if not all, of the occupants were drunk already. These uncoordinated dance moves seemed way too wild and unafraid of judgement for a sober mind.

Riley tossed around the idea of joining the mass of dancers, but finally decided against it. Parties were never her thing, and the thought of having some strangers grinding against her at all angles wasn't too pleasant an image. She wasn't a touchy person around unfamiliar people, and even in an environment that allowed such actions, she wasn't too eager.

Someone familiar walking in her field of vision caught her eye. Riley focused in on his face, and she smiled, raising her hand to wave. "Hey, Marcus!" One had to yell in order to be heard at this point.

The hacker looked over and a wide grin split his face. "Ayy, Riley! Glad you're here!" Holding a beer bottle in each hand, he spread his hands wide and enveloped her in a big, friendly hug. A bit surprised, she tensed for a moment before tentatively reciprocating the gesture, patting him gently on the back. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, and figured he was just a handsy drunk.

He stepped back and looked her over. "Lookin' good. You out looking for a companion for the night?"

Riley raised a brow, but knew he wasn't implicating himself in the question. He was just asking if that was her plan. At least…she hoped. His expression didn't exactly exude seduction and flirtation, but Riley had been wrong about these things before. "Is that all people do at these things? Sitara asked me the same thing!"

Marcus laughed, swaying slightly as he took a swig from one of the bottles. "Nah, but we all have a good time and hey, hooking up can be fun! You don't know til you try it!"

"I think I'll pass on that!"

The song ended and switched over to something with a much deeper base, sending heavy vibrations through the floor and air. They both looked over at the DJ, who's hand rose and fell in time with the beat, gearing the crowd up to do the same. People cheered as the tone changed and became faster.

"This shit is dope!" Marcus said, nodding his head in time to appreciate the sound. "Woo!"

Riley agreed, looking down to realize her foot was tapping to the beat and her body swayed side to side. It wasn't a conscious action. Marcus must have noticed too, because he grabbed her wrist and tugged her in the direction of the dancers.

"Come on, let's show these people what real dancing is!"

"Uhh, I don't know…"

Marcus stopped and gave her a look, gesturing with his head at the dance floor. "If you're not here to dance, then why are you here?"

Riley opened her mouth but closed it, unsure how to answer that. Maybe she'd come to the party with the wrong intentions? Hmm. Marcus watched her patiently, waiting for her to find the right words to respond.

"I just…I'm not…outgoing? I don't really dance!"

Marcus rolled his eyes, pointing to the crowd. "None of these people are paying attention to anyone but themselves! They aren't gonna care what you do! Hell, the stranger the better at this point!"

"I guess, but-"

"Enjoy yourself! You're not gonna find fun standing in a corner all night long!" So saying, he pushed her forward and followed after her. He was able to get them into a relatively crowded spot at the edge of the pit of dancers. Marcus finished the last of his second bottle and tossed them both to the side, immediately breaking into some pretty legit drunken dance moves in Riley's opinion.

She watched him in fascination, inspired by his unwillingness to let anyone else's opinion of him dictate his actions. Riley looked around and noticed she was the one out of place by just standing there, and slowly began shaking her hips in time.

"That's all you got?" He challenged, nonverbally daring her to step it up a notch.

Her lips formed a pout. What else was she supposed to do? Struggling to figure out how to improve her dancing, Riley incorporated her shoulders into it a bit more. The tenseness in her body began to recede, instead focusing on not tripping over the legs of the nearby dancers.

"Don't be holding out on me, Riley!" Marcus said with a laugh, making her smile in response. The longer she danced beside Marcus, the more she realized that…hey, this was fun!

Riley's fear of looking ridiculous began to melt away, slowly being overtaken by her desire to meet this challenge. Not one to disappoint, Riley smirked and started rolling her body side to side while shaking her hips, making it a bit more sensual.

" _There_ you go! That's more like it!" Marcus encouraged jovially, throwing himself fully into the music.

"Woo!" Riley shouted over the music, her voice lost in the beat and the crowd cheering in time. It was nice to let loose like this. She closed her eyes, smile wide on her face. This was great! How hadn't she known a dance floor was this much fun? All those times she'd actually attended a party—which was few enough to count on one hand—and she hadn't even tried joining in like this. Such a waste, she thought her herself.

The song changed again, this time to something more akin to dubstep, and a lot of the dancers yelled out their enthusiasm. Riley and Marcus included.

* * *

 

The journalist lost track of how many songs she'd danced to, only coming a bit more to her senses when she was beginning to lose her breath. Dancing was a lot of work. Her eyes opened, seeing things a bit clearer now. She frowned, not spotting Marcus beside her. A few glances around her indicated that he wasn't anywhere in the crowd near her. Perhaps he got tired and left? Maybe. He was fairly drunk, and even Riley was starting to feel dizzy with all this moving around and the bottle of beer in her system.

The next song played, and Riley finally shrugged, figuring that she could dance by herself and still have fun. Her happy smile returned. Unknowingly, she found herself dancing in close proximity to a large group of women beside. Somehow, she dancer her way into the group, and soon found herself shimmying her shoulders and shaking her ass with them, laughing and whooping with enthusiasm when one of the females did something extra provocative just for show.

Riley could care less what she looked like at this point. Who was even paying attention to her anyway? She was just one person out of the rest of the crowd.

* * *

 

At the edge of the crowd, Riley was lost in the music, enjoying herself with a handful of other women. Laughing and cheering each other on, they looked like the best of friends, when in reality, Wrench was willing to bet none of them knew the others.

The brunette had definitely had some alcohol, if he were to guess, watching from his place against the roof's barrier as her limbs flung themselves in the air without care, hips swinging side to side, hair tangled and unkempt, legs bending and moving in time to the music, and her face flushed red from exertion. She was uncoordinated as all hell, her sense of balance thrown way off kilter, but damn…Wrench couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from her awful, yet beautiful, dancing.

That damned, goofy smile of hers lightened something in his soul. Or maybe the alcohol from his three beers was beginning to set in. Who knew? All Wrench could say for sure was that the world could be ending around him and he doubted he'd be able to look away even for a second.

A part of him—and he was _damn_ sure it was the drunk part of him—was whispering that he should go join her, let his hands wander, feel her close to him. He'd have an excuse; the dancers were packed together, a party like this could mask his intentions, and she wouldn't be the wiser. But the small part that was still sober and capable of making informed decisions kept him at bay, knowing that she probably wouldn't welcome his desire to be next to her so close.

Someone approaching him from the side caught his eye, only because they came so close. "I see you found Riley." Marcus said, grinning like a fool. Wrench gave him a confused tilt of his head, because how could he have known that's who he was looking at? His mask prevented anyone from seeing where his eyes were looking.

Marcus scoffed in understanding, smile never fading, and pointed to his eyes. "The hearts?"

Wrench came to his senses, realizing he'd let his mind wander so far as to let his heart emoticons appear on the mask without him intending to. He hurriedly switched them to something more neutral, but Marcus was already laughing in amusement.

"Relax, dude! So what if she sees?"

"Because I…I don't…" He tried wording it to make sense, finally shaking his head with a sad expression. "I don't trust myself not to fuck it up."

"Then don't fuck it up!"

Wrench's mask showed two angry slashes. "It's like you don't even know me, Marcus-"

"You won't know for sure unless to do something about it! Fuck, Wrench, just go ask her out! I'm tired of seeing your mopey ass watching her from a distance!"

Wrench's eyes became two wide circles, displaying his surprise and horror. "No way!"

His friend starting getting annoyed, shaking his head. "Why not? She's right there!"

"We barely know each other!"

"Do you not understand what the definition of a date is?" Marcus stressed, his buzz slowly starting to lighten from Wrench's stupidity. Couldn't he tell there wasn't any downside to trying?

That seemed to strike Wrench without a retort, and Marcus honed in on that point. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and brought him closer. "Yo, man…where's the Wrench I know? The one who isn't afraid of taking risks, who says 'fuck it' to society and does what it is he wants without giving a damn about the consequences?"

Wrench's mask went blank, but Marcus knew he was still listening. "You like her, right?" There was several moments of silence on his part, but Marcus was a patient man and after awhile the heart icons appeared on his mask again. The hacker nodded, glad that at least Wrench was admitting it now.

"Then go get her!" He gestured behind him towards the dance floor where Riley was. Wrench couldn't help but follow his hand, then stood a little straighter.

"Where'd she go?" Wrench said, eyes slanting across the crowd in an effort to find her. Marcus turned to look but the brunette wasn't with the group of women still dancing. The pulsing lights made it difficult to pick out one particular person, but they both combed the occupants and saw no sign of the journalist.

"You gonna go find her?" Marcus asked, smile widening when Wrench walked off without a reply, his intentions obvious. "Yeah, that's my boy." He said to himself, proud that he'd made it through that thick skull of his to get his point across. The guy was smart—Marcus had seen him put together contraptions that for all intents and purposes shouldn't have worked—but damn could he be dense sometimes.

* * *

 

Riley felt hardly able to breathe. Dancing for so long had left her exhausted. Her skin felt sweaty and sticky, and her throat was parched beyond belief. She'd kindly extracted herself away from the other dancers and went in search of the bar. Surely they'd just have regular water, right?

There were two people manning the bar; a girl wearing a bikini top and shorts, and a guy in nothing skinny jeans that were way too tight. Riley looked away respectfully, slightly alarmed with how much she could see of…down there.

Luckily it was the girl who waved her over. Riley doubted she had the self control to act like nothing was wrong to the guy. "Feeling thirsty?" The woman asked, holding up the two different kinds of beer they had left.

Riley nodded. "Yeah, but do you have water? In a bottle or just tap, doesn't matter to me."

"Sure thing. Hang on a sec." The woman said, setting the beers down and leaning down to reach for something under the counter. She straightened again, holding a large expensive brand of water. "You're in luck. This guy has expensive tastes and money to satisfy them."

"Awesome, thanks." Riley smiled, accepting the bottle. She glanced around and found a few open seats by the wall. Sitting in one, she leaned her head back against the wall and drank deeply from the bottle. The cool liquid felt amazing in her mouth, and she relished the feeling as much as she could.

Her breathing had returned mostly to normal at that point, but she still felt way too hot. She was willing to bet her makeup wasn't in the best condition right now either, but Riley waved off the thought. She didn't care.

"Is this seat taken?" A man asked, pointing to the one beside her. She shook her head, silently gesturing for him to go ahead and take it. He did, holding out his hand in greeting all the while. "I'm Nick, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Oh," she belatedly shook his head, trying to be polite, "I'm Riley."

"You're with DedSec, right? Well, I guess you'd have to be to even be here." He rolled his eyes at his own oversight. "You don't look familiar." He inquired, flashing an attractive smile.

She shrugged in answer. "I'm pretty new to the group, so I imagine I wouldn't."

"Well, hey, hopefully we haven't scared you away with our shenanigans." He laughed to himself and waved a hand to the rowdy bunch of people that had shown up to party. "We can be a little, uh…" He paused to think of the correct term.

"Eccentric?" She finished for him, a smile creeping up on her own face.

"Yeah, that's a nice way to put it!" He enthusiastically agreed with a snap of his fingers, and she laughed lightly.

"If anything, it's just made me happier to have been able to join you guys."

"That's awesome to hear." He said, eyes scanning the crowd before them. They both fell silent for a moment, just partaking the scenery and the atmosphere. The music wasn't as loud and fast-paced as before, meaning the party was probably in the stages of winding down a bit. Riley had a sudden thought: how long had she been here?

The journalist went to reach for her phone, but Nick beat her to it. "Now's the time where I could pick between a really cheesy, really cringe pick up line, or ask you more about yourself. Which one do you think would work better?"

Riley laughed in spite of herself. Normally she hated the whole 'first-time-meeting-flirt-session' that these things warranted, but Nick's approach was so refreshing and unexpected, she at least humored him. "Well normally I'd say neither but I'm curious as to what you've got, so…hit me with your best line."

Nick shifted in his seat, clearing his throat, as if preparing for something big. She fought back the smile, waiting for what he had for her. He spread his hands out in front of him, a silent plea for her to wait just a moment, and to prepare herself.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Nick schooled his expression into what she could only imagine was his attempt at a 'smolder,' and flashed two finger guns at her. "If not, I can walk past a second time."

Riley made a face, and Nick broke his forced expression.

"Wait, wait, I've got a better one." He got ready again and looked off into the distance dramatically. "I would do battle with a pack of wild mountain lions, inside a handicapped stall at a local McDonald's with my hands zip tied behind my back with a shaker weight super glued to my forehead as my only weapon, just to be able to have the chance to take you out to a spaghetti dinner over Skype."

Riley snorted through her nose, unable to prevent the laughter from how ridiculous it all sounded. Nick laughed too, apparently satisfied with the result. She shook her head, wiping away the tears that threatened to slide down her cheeks. "Oh god, that was terrible…" She groaned, letting out the last of her chuckles.

"Yeah, well, my first _date_ material is way better than the first encounter stuff." He promised, turning to look at her genuinely. "So I guess that's my way of asking if you'd like to grab a coffee some time."

Riley paused, then gave him a sympathetic smile. "I appreciate the thought, and you've got the right approach, but I'm not looking to find any sort of companion from this party." She rushed to clarify, holding out a hand rapidly. "Not just a hook-up thing, but a relationship thing too. I…just couldn't do it."

Nick nodded in understanding, his smile never faltering. "Hey, no worries. I thought it was worth a shot though, so I guess take that as a compliment?" He shrugged, and Riley laughed again.

"I will, thank you."

Nick tilted his head, looking around him for something. "I won't push you, I can take no as an answer, but…" He reached over to pull out a scrap of paper from a nearby magazine, producing a pen from his pocket. "Just in case you change your mind, feel free to call me."

Riley watched as he wrote his phone number on a paper, and she knew right away that she wouldn't call. Nick just wasn't that interesting to her. Sure, he was attractive enough…Maybe she was just being superficial and petty, but Riley just felt like there was something…missing.

Nick offered the piece of paper and, not wanting to be rude, Riley took it gently.

"I'll see you around, then?" He said, friendly smile back in place. The brunette returned it, nodding slowly.

"Maybe."

"Cool." He pointed at her as a goodbye, then wandered off to some other part of the penthouse. Riley sat in her seat for a bit longer, staring at the number he'd scribbled on the paper, just below his name. There was a small smiley-face underneath it.

She sighed, wondering if she should give Nick a chance. I mean, he was sweet about it, took her no at face value, and besides giving her the choice to change her mind later, didn't push the issue. He did everything right, by the book. Was she being difficult by not at least going along and seeing what happened? Riley didn't know. And her foggy, buzzed brain wasn't helping her decide either.

Riley reached into her purse and took out her phone, then raised her brows when she saw how late it was. Not that she had anywhere to be tomorrow morning, but she hadn't intended to stay quite so long. Well, as nice as Nick was about his interest, it left Riley feeling a little…strange. Perhaps now was as good a time as any to leave.

It was too bad. She hadn't even seen Wrench around.

* * *

 

Wrench stopped in his tracks. The eyes on his mask went blank when he spotted Riley laughing to something some guy—Nick, Wrench vaguely recalled in the back of his mind, a DedSec member that belonged to the Marin hackerspace—told her. He felt his chest seize up, and he was about walk away, but then Nick was writing something on a paper and handing it to the brunette.

Pointing at her playfully, Nick left her there, and Wrench faded back into the crowd before Riley somehow spotted him standing there.

* * *

 

Wrench nursed a opened bottle of beer, barely touched, as he sat like a lump on one of the couches in the living space. Josh was busy with some security camera or another on his laptop beside him, and Sitara had gone along with some of her graffiti friends earlier. It wasn't like Wrench particularly wanted anyone around him right now, but he'd promised Sitara he'd stay the entire night this time, and there wasn't anywhere he could go without having people in the vicinity. So saying, he'd found his friends and sat among them, electing that they were better to have around than general strangers.

Marcus wandered over and plopped into the cushion beside the masked hacker, groaning as his back sank into the comfy material. "Did you find Riley?"

"Yeah." He answered dejectedly, taking another morose sip of his beer. "Found her with some guy."

"Damn, they weren't, uh-" Marcus started with a visible cringe, asking the obvious, but Wrench shook his head.

"He gave her his number and she took it."

Marcus perked up a bit. "Well, that's a little better than catching them making out in the corner, bro."

Wrench wasn't in the mood to let himself be comforted by Marcus' optimism, preferring to wallow in his self pity for the moment. Normally he hated it, but tonight he could at least convince himself it was justifiable. "They might as well have been."

"Come on, Wrench. That doesn't mean a damn thing. You've still got a chance." Marcus waited for some kind of a response, but it quickly became clear Wrench wasn't going to provide one. He sighed, gently punching the masked man in the arm. "Hey, snap out of it."

"Would you cut it out?" Came his irritated spit, yanking his arm out of the way of Marcus's reach. "I'm not up for that shit right now."

He knew the venom wasn't directly aimed at him, but it was still a bit unnerving to be on the receiving end of Wrench's anger. He held up his hands defensively, trying to calm him down. "Look, all I'm trying to say is-"

"I know what you're saying. I'm just not in the fucking mood to hear it." Wrench lifted his mask enough to drink from the beer bottle again, this time taking several gulps. Maybe if he got blackout drunk enough, he'd forget this all happened, and he could go back to the way things were before.

"Riley threw something away before leaving." Josh spoke up from the other side of the couch suddenly, drawing both of his friends' attention. There was a pause, before he glanced up to see both of them staring at him.

"How do you know?" Marcus asked, and Josh angled the laptop to show them the screen. They leaned in to look.

The security camera aimed at the front of the downstairs lobby showed a mostly-empty room. Obviously this was a previous recording, because Josh fast forwarded a bit until he came to the time he was looking for. There was a woman texting on her phone in the corner, and after a moment, Riley was seen walking across the feed towards the door. She paused by a trashcan, reaching into her purse for something white. Josh zoomed in on it and they could see faint writing on the paper, too small and indistinct to make out from this distance. However, Wrench recognized the size and knew it was what Nick had given her.

After a moment of staring at it, she ripped it into several pieces and let them fall into the trash can, before adjusting her purse and walking out to the sidewalk.

Marcus smiled, patting Wrench on the back. "See? She wasn't even interested in him."

Wrench still wasn't totally convinced, but he still felt a bit lighter than before. The fact that she just threw away his phone number without much thought was…a little relieving. That didn't necessarily mean she was interested in himself, but that could come later. When it came to competition in the dating arena, he didn't know how to deal.

"Have a little more confidence in yourself, Wrench. Just give it a chance." Marcus encouraged, hoping his friend was taking some meaning from all this.

Wrench just shrugged, leaving his mask blank. "Easier said than done."


	10. Bad News Bears

The lack of a hangover the morning after was the best feeling in the world. Riley woke a little later than usual, due to being out so late at the party the night before. Even after coming back into consciousness, she laid there in her bed for another hour or so, too lazy to actually get up. It wasn't even until her bladder was about ready to burst did she get up from bed and begrudgingly wander over to the bathroom.

After relieving herself and tying her hair up to get it out of her face, Riley made her way to the kitchen. Pants was sleeping on the counter, and the brunette narrowed her eyes at the cat. He jerked awake when she picked him up. Ignoring his outraged meow, she cuddled him to her chest and transported him to the couch in the living room. He stood and stretched his back, arching it upwards. His eyes blinked wearily up at her in accusation, but she'd already returned to the kitchen to make herself some food.

One grilled cheese sandwich and some crackers later, Riley was feeling full and bored. Blowing air through her lips, the brunette stood in the middle of the living room and just looked around. What now? Her Saturdays were almost never planned in advance. Riley made great pains to leave her weekends open so she could do nothing all day. But sometimes that was more of a hindrance than helpful. Sometimes she just didn't know what she wanted to do.

Riley's eyes finally wandered down to her Star Wars pajama pants, and shrugged. A Star Wars movie marathon it was, then. Grabbing her boxed set of the series, Riley turned on her DVD player and popped it in. While the opening previews rolled, she returned to her room and dragged several blankets and pillows to the couch to begin building her nest for the day.

* * *

 

Riley shut the blinds and turned off the lights, relishing in the darkness of her living room. The only proper way to enjoy movies was in the dark. She hated tv glare, and it immersed her more into the story anyway. Having prepared the room to her satisfaction, she hit play on the remote and snuggled into her blanket fort, getting comfortable. Pants joined her after a few minutes, kneading a spot for himself by her feet to lay down and sleep.

She began with the sequels because, even if they were universally disliked by the die-hard trilogy fans, it still set the scene for the rest of the series. Plus, Riley didn't think they were all that bad, mainly thanks to Ewan McGregor and the way he portrayed a young Obi Wan Kenobi. That man was a darling.

By the time she finished the second prequel, Riley was feeling hungry again. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest choice, but she popped two bags of kettle popcorn and dumped it into the biggest plastic bowl she owned. Then, after pouring a giant glass of milk to accompany it, Riley returned to the couch and started on the third movie.

Having this time to herself was so relaxing and much-needed. It was about damn time she got some Riley-time. She smiled, watching in childish awe at the CGI of the fighter ship dogfighting in space of the opening scenes. She always liked watching the space battles between the ships the most.

Having seen these movies a hundred times before, Riley couldn't help but zone out a little during the slower, duller parts of the story. She started daydreaming, envisioning herself as a Jedi, then wondered what her last name would be. No Jedi had the last name Clarke. It just wasn't cool enough. And obviously it couldn't be Skywalker. That would be too self-insertish for her tastes.

Rislo? Tekra? Maybe Alron? Damn, this decision was harder than she thought. Then it drifted to other things. What color lightsaber would she have? She couldn't exactly have a red lightsaber and be a Jedi at the same time, but red was her favorite color. Damn, so many choices…

She briefly played with the thought of what Wrench would be: Jedi or Sith? He certainly had the interests of his friends in mind all the time, but could a Jedi truly justify such a…destructive behavior? Over the past few days of having the DedSec comm earpiece, she'd overhead some of his explosive and destructive visions during ops. Surely, a Jedi wouldn't want to leave that much collateral damage…right?

Then again, he wasn't really exactly Sith material. Wrench was too dorky to have a dark side that dark. Riley frowned, finally shaking her head, realizing she was way further into the movie than previously. Her thoughts had kept her daydreaming for far longer than she expected.

Eventually the third movie ended, so Riley got up to change the disc and take a quick bathroom break. She checked her phone for any messages while doing so, surprised to see it was nearly 7:30 in the evening. How time flew when you were having fun. It was almost time for another meal too, if her growling stomach had anything to say about it.

Riley reached for the fridge handle, when her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Without looking at the screen, she answered it and held it to her ear. "Hello?" Her eyes were too busy raking the shelves for something to satisfy her hunger.

" _Hi there, Riley. It's Bill._ " A stern male's voice replied. She stopped, surprised to be hearing from her boss.

"Oh, hi Bill." She straightened, a feeling of concern instantly overtaking her. Why was her boss calling out of the blue? It was even past business hours at the office. All employees should be home. Including him.

And Bill wasn't one to make unnecessary, social calls either. "What can I do for you?" She finally asked, forcing her voice to come out normal-sounding.

He sighed. Ok, definitely not a good sign. " _I've, uh, got some bad news. I didn't want to be the one to tell you, but better to hear it directly from me than someone else."_

"What is it?" Riley let go of the fridge and wrapped her free arm around herself. It was a defense mechanism, preparing herself to hear whatever terrible thing he was about to say. Suddenly her throat was dry and she had trouble swallowing.

_"_ _We're cutting the funding for your assignment."_

Riley froze, eyes widening slightly. "You cut…" She trailed off, not wanting to verbalize her fears.

_"_ _I've been looking over your progress so far, and…well, there's no easy way to say this but I'm ending your investigation, Riley. We've got other things we'd like you to work on."_

"Bill-"

_"_ _I'm sorry, Riley. I of all people know how much this investigation meant to you. "_

Her blood ran cold, and she couldn't help but realize her hands were shaking when she switched the phone to the other ear. Perhaps she just hadn't heard him correctly. "You're just abandoning the whole thing?"

_"_ _It's a lot more complicated than that."_

Riley, normally one to follow rules and directions from her superiors, found herself defensive and fighting back. Even with her anger, she made sure to keep her voice reasonable and calm. "Then please try explaining it to me in a way that makes sense, because I'm really not understanding why the company decided to drop an investigation I've been working on for over a year now."

The sigh he offered then was more out of irritation than sympathy. _"Riley, we just need to be on the look out for more current news. From a business standpoint, I need to have the resources available to me in the places I think we could be most beneficial."_

The brunette was shaking her head vigorously even before he finished speaking. "I'm sorry if this is way out of line, Bill, but I honestly think that's bullshit. The current news is right here in San Fransisco! The goldmine I'm standing over is there. I know it." She let out a humorless huff. "Hell, DedSec is exposing new scandals left and right on an almost daily basis."

 _"_ _DedSec is part of the reason why we're pulling out."_ Bill admitted, and she grew silent so he could explain. " _The name DedSec brings with it a lot of suspicion and distrust. I don't want that influence seeping into my business."_

Riley frowned, not seeing the connection. "But how would it-"

_"_ _Anything affiliated with them could result in one of two things, the way I see it. One: If we start posting information about anything DedSec is interested in, I don't wanna be on the receiving end of one of their hacks. Who knows who they would stoop to targeting to get their hands on information?"_

Riley mutely rolled her eyes in a mixture of outrage and a quick flash of amusement. She may just sick a DedSec hack on him purely out of spite at this point. Even if the others were opposed, she was willing to bet Wrench wouldn't mind.

_"_ _And two: someone might get the idea that we're in support of that troublesome group, and then accuse us of doing so. Imagine the public reception of that. We're supposed to be an unbiased news station. Having rumors tie us to them would be terrible for business. It's a lose-lose situation here, Riley. You've gotta be smart enough to understand that."_

She was silent, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. She was beyond angry and frustrated, both at herself and with Bill. How the fuck could he justify this? Well, fairly easily, apparently. he'd spelled it out pretty plain and simple. DedSec scared him. He wanted nothing to do with the group, and San Fransisco was obviously their turf. Maybe if she hadn't personally gotten to know DedSec and it's members, she would be a bit more unbiased about his reasoning, but there was still the fact that they were pulling her out entirely. Now probably wouldn't be a good time to admit she'd 'unofficially' joined their ranks. No need to give him more reason to shut down her assignment.

At the same time, she couldn't help but wonder if he were just trying to make her feel better, and it had been her performance this whole time. Was she that much of a failure? Her first big story, and they drop it entirely? A year of her life, wasted on a project that would never be published. Her mood was quickly descending into something closer to self-deprecation.

"I just don't understand…" She sighed in defeat, knowing that no matter how much she argued for it, it was ultimately Bill's decision in the end. And when he set his mind on something, no amount of persuasion would change it. "I know it's been slow going but I've done everything I can to-"

 _"_ _Riley!"_ Bill interrupted, in the way a disappointed father might have. She went quiet instantly, having a hard time hiding the fact that her lip trembled from the outflowing of negative emotion that welled up inside her.

 _"_ _Riley,"_ he said with a sigh in a gentler tone, _"it's not about your work performance. We're not questioning your value to the company or as an investigator. In fact, I'd love to put you on another assignment as soon as you return from San Fransisco."_

Despite his attempts at reassuring her, she couldn't help but feel like a failure. That squeezing sensation behind her eyes indicated she was close to tears, but for the sake of her pride, she refused to break down and cry to her boss. Riley was supposed to be stronger than that.

"When would you like me back in the office?" Riley asked in a monotone. She couldn't bring herself to even pretend she was ok with this. It was too painful. Her chest was seized with disappointment in herself and in the stupid decisions of her management team and boss.

_"_ _I'd like you back as soon as possible, but I know you're currently living there. Take the rest of the month to make arrangements with your apartment, your workplace, and anywhere else you need to. I'd like you working your next case by the middle of next month, if possible."_

They both said their goodbyes, and she hung up. Her phone was held loosely in her hand, and all she could do was stare down at it. This was all sorts of fucked up. All sorts of backwards and sideways and wrong. This assignment was supposed to be her first big success. The first step towards doing something that mattered. What was she to do now?

Her vision blurred, and the tears Riley had held back up to that point flowed past her lids and down her cheeks steadily. She didn't even really cry, just…numbly let the tears fall with a blank expression. Anything more would have required too much effort.

Time passed in a blur. Had it been a minute? An hour? Had days gone by? She wasn't paying attention nor did she care. So many thoughts were swirling and mixing together in her brain, one was almost indistinguishable from another. What was she supposed to feel?

Pants must have sensed her distress from the living room, because she felt his furry body brush up against her leg softly. She glanced at the clock and idly thought that it was way past his dinner time. However, strangely enough, he didn't meow like crazy when he sought her out. Instead, he circled between her legs over and over, purring loudly in an effort to get her attention.

She finally looked down at Pants, and his eyes were wide, staring up at her. When she made eye contact, he gave a single meow, nuzzling her leg with his nose. Riley smiled thinly, realizing for once he wasn't being an asshole, but must have been trying to comfort her in his own way.

She set the phone down on the counter and stooped to pick him up. He was heavy, and she grunted with the weight, but he finally was resting in her arms against her chest. Closing her eyes, Riley held him close, letting her tears call into his furry body.

"I messed everything up, Pants." She whispered with a disgusting sniff of her nose, letting the sadness slowly roll over her in waves and holding him close as a sort of comfort.

* * *

 

Riley could only stand being sad about the matter of her assignment being dropped for so long. A half hour tops. And then it slowly gave way to the ever-growing volcano of anger right behind it. She was tired of sitting around in the house, and she just had to…to do something. To be moving. To hit something. Scream. Shout. Whatever, she just wanted out of the house.

It was nearly 8:30 now, and the sun had probably already set. Riley didn't care though, thinking it would mean less people around for her to bump into. She just wanted to be alone right now.

A quick trip to her bedroom and she changed into something she could run around in. Some yoga pants and a tank top, and her ratty pair of tennis shoes. Grabbing her phone, headphones, and pair of keys—she forwent her purse, not wanting all that much to carry—Riley was out the door and into the night.

The cooler night air felt good against her face, which was puffy and probably still red from her crying earlier. Her eyes itched a little, but it was wind pulled at her hair and swished it every which way. Multiple times she had to pull strands of it out of her mouth. It was annoying.

Her thoughts raced, and she couldn't keep still, even at intersections to wait for cars to go by. Her feet were constantly moving, and the music in her ears was turned up way past what was healthy on her eardrums. The pulsing vibrations and slight pain helped her focus though.

Fuck the company. Fuck the management committee for even considering pulling her investigation. Fuck the company again for not believing in her. As bad as she felt about saying it, because he honestly was a nice man, fuck Bill. Fuck Bill, and fuck everyone else who worked there. They could all go to hell.

Riley ran further and further into the night, letting the street lamps along the road guide her way. Who knew how long she was actually running for, until she finally found herself in an unfamiliar part of the city. The modern, metal buildings slowly changed into construction sites and concrete structures. The roads weren't as busy, and not every inch of available space was taken up by buildings. Grassy hills trailed either side of the road, and she had a view of the bay.

Even still, she kept running, wishing it would somehow fix all this mess. Riley had invested so much of her time and passion into this investigation, and for what? She'd worked for Tri-Valley Herald for awhile, and she considered herself a loyal and valuable employee. Some dedication they had for their employees, huh?

Riley grew out of breath and had to slow down, simply because her lungs were killing her. She grimaced, huffing breaths in and out with difficulty. God, she was not really in shape. But exercise sucked. She walked for a ways until she came across a bench next to the sidewalk, then sat and held her head in her hands.

The longer she thought about it, the worse her anger and disappointment grew. And the worst part? her boss decided to call on a Saturday of all days to tell her this. Saturdays were supposed to be spent relaxing and enjoying yourself. That was almost more insulting than the news itself. Hands tightening into fists, Riley grit her teeth and felt like tearing her own hair out. This was too much for her to handle all at once.

In the midst of her panting, she felt the earpiece vibrate. Someone was trying to call her, and she didn't much care who it was. A part of her felt like ignoring it, but if DedSec had information for her, she still wanted to hear about it. So she pressed the button and wiped at the sweat on her forehead. "Yeah?" She said shortly, trying not to let her exhaustion seep through.

 _"_ _Woah, you sound out of breath. I'm not interrupting anything of a…compromising nature, am I?_ " Wrench's typically amused and joking voice asked, almost failing to hold back his laugh.

Riley lacked the energy to crack a smile. "No…went for a run."

He hummed, accepting the answer, before continuing. _"Well, just thought I'd check in. The others are still going through that data you gave us. It's taking a bit longer than we expected. There's a lot to get through."_

"And you?" She asked, noticing he'd excluded himself from the rest of the group.

" _Oh, just cruising around in search of computer parts. Most of the pawn shops restock on the weekend, and I like to get first dibs."_ There was a pause, mostly because she didn't know how to respond, but he continued anyway. " _So, what does the average Riley do on a Saturday, anyway?"_

The brunette had to debate with herself if she could muster up enough enthusiasm to really talk to Wrench at that moment. She'd gotten used to his seemingly random calls on the earpiece the past week or so, but today had been such a rollercoaster right at the end there, she wasn't really in the mood for anything.

She decided that maybe he would help her calm down a little. Conversation might be just what she needed, if not what she wanted. "Marathon Star Wars and eat ungodly amounts of junk food. Maybe even do nothing all day and stare at my laptop."

 _"_ _Then why the hell are you exercising? That is not in your listed Saturday activities."_ He mused, confusion evident. Obviously, nothing in the world to him trumped marathoning Star Wars and eating food. Priorities were important, after all.

She couldn't hold back the heavy sigh that escaped her lips, and she rubbed at her temples to try getting rid of the headache. "It's complicated…"

 _"…_ _Don't know if you want to talk about it but something obviously happened. Care to fill me in?"_ He asked, some of the cheer fading from his voice. he sounded serious now. She appreciated the fact that he knew when the jokes weren't appreciated, and felt the corner of her mouth twitch.

Riley didn't even know where to begin, and shook her head slowly. "Got a call from _work_ today, and they were kind enough to inform me that they're cutting _all_ the funding for my investigation. I'm supposed to just pack up and abandon everything by the end of the month."

_"_ _The fuck for?"_

"I don't even fucking know," Riley normally didn't swear so easily, but it slipped out, "he couldn't give me a solid answer."

Thankfully, Wrench didn't seem to take her cursing as being directed at him. In fact, he sounded just as upset about all this as she was. It was nice to have someone on her side. _"Sounds to me like someone needs a little convincing on the matter. I'm sure we could persuade him without too much trouble…"_ He implied, and she shook her head.

"No, don't. I might be pissed as all hell right now, but it doesn't mean I hate him." She sighed, having to verbally admit that she wasn't seeing this from both perspectives. "He's just doing what he thinks is best for his business."

_"_ _So what? Not everything has to be about other people, Riley. This shit affects you more than it does him. You should have a say in it."_

Riley agreed, but knew better. "That's the thing, though. Even if I wanted to argue it, it's out of my hands."

Wrench must have hit something, because she heard a loud metallic bang through the earpiece. _"Man, this is the type of shit I hate the most. Someone else with a bigger paycheck is making all the decisions, and gives a bit 'fuck you' to the rest of the world in the process."_

"I know, it's stupid…" She said, not knowing what else to say. She agreed with Wrench, but knew there wasn't much she could do about it. Bill's decision would dictate whether her investigation was published, and he wouldn't be swayed by an emotional appeal. She was stuck. Helpless. She hated feeling like there wasn't anything she could do.

"God, I just want to punch something." She growled, hitting her fist against the bench she sat on. The hard wood hurt her hand in the process, but it was better than the emotional pain.

" _…"_ Wrench was oddly quiet for a moment, before he cleared his throat. " _I might have an idea, if you wanted to let off some steam."_

"Honestly, I'd be up for anything right about now."

Though muted in comparison to before, some of his enthusiasm and joking came back. _"Sweet, stay where you are and I'll come get you."_

Riley frowned. "Don't you need to know where I am to-"

 _"_ _No need!"_ He said in a sing song tone. _"I can track you from anywhere with that earpiece."_

"That's not creepy at all." Riley said with sarcasm. She scoffed out in a laugh, a small smile marking her lips. "But alright. I'll sit tight. Just don't take forever."

Wrench laughed, and ended their communication, leaving Riley to herself and her thoughts. her chest was still swirling with anger, but some of it had receded. But Riley's focus was on something else entirely now. What the hell did Wrench have in mind?


	11. Aggression Management

Wrench didn't disappoint, and rolled up in a sedan—different car, yet again; one of these days she'd have to ask—within ten minutes of them talking. Riley had been pacing the sidewalk around the bench listening to her music, until he stopped in front of her. She leaned down and peeked into the open window, recognizing the Xs flashing on his mask.

"You know this isn't the best part of San Fransisco to be running through alone at night, right?" He questioned, gesturing to the area around them. Riley shrugged, opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat nest to him.

"It wasn't my first concern when I left, to be honest." She said, shutting the door a bit rougher than she intended. Wrench gave a little tilt of his head while putting the car into drive, and Riley wondered if this was in fact his own personal car. No need to do it any damage. "Uh, sorry."

"Eh." He said with an uncaring shrug, starting the car forward down the road Riley had been running along. Ok, maybe it wasn't his car. "The Bratvas control the territory here is all, so, just a heads up!" He said helpfully, keeping his attention on the road in front of them.

The brunette sighed, leaning her elbow on the door and holding her head in her palm. "Today has been the worst Saturday ever."

"Aww, don't say that yet. You've still got a few hours." Wrench's mask displayed a happy expression. "Maybe this'll turn things around?"

Riley raised her head and watched where they were traveling. She still wasn't familiar with this area of the city, though. There was still a lack of large and numerous buildings around. "Where are we going anyway?"

"You'll see." He said with a chuckle and quick wink in her direction.

Unable to help the smile that spread over her lips, she rolled her eyes. Everything DedSec did was so secretive. Or, maybe it was Wrench specifically. Even inadvertently, everything sounded so murder-esque.

Riley wasn't sure how to start a conversation while she was still this angry, and the silence only distracted her further as she thought about this fucked up situation. She closed her eyes and took a long breath. She didn't want to take out her frustration on Wrench by accident. He hadn't done anything wrong.

He must have noticed her distress. "I guess I forgot to ask if you even like surprises."

"They're ok. As long as it's a good surprise." She said neutrally, glancing in his direction. He turned them down a street which brought them closer to the bay. "I mean, getting axe-murdered is a surprise. Not exactly pleasant."

Wrench's mask changed into two asterisks, and turned to stare at her. "That's what you think I'm gonna do?" Riley shrugged with a pout, and he scoffed, shaking his head. " _Riiiight_ , because that's so practical…Axes are too slow, ineffective. I would probably use a chainsaw."

"Wow, that's _really_ reassuring." The journalist looked sharply back towards him, but Wrench intentionally kept his eyes on the road. She felt her smile slowly falling, and after several seconds, he looked over towards her. "You're fucking with me, right?" She asked, and he gave a silent wink. Riley grinned despite herself, and lightly punched him in the arm. "Bastard."

"Nothing more relaxing than death, right?" He said jovially, and Riley shook her head.

"Not for anyone normal."

"Hey, fuck being normal." He said passionately. "Being strange is so much more interesting. And fun."

"I'll take your word for it." She said, chuckling under her breath. The next light was about to turn red, and Riley noticed that they drove right through it, not caring to even try stopping. She supposed there wasn't anyone around for it to do any harm.

"What, you think _you're_ normal?" Wrench shook his head in amusement, laughing at her claim. "You're helping a rogue hacker group take down corrupt business. _And_ you're an undercover agent. Well…" Wrench seemed to have realized he said the wrong thing, because Riley looked away, "…you _were_ …but…uh, anyway…You think any of _that_ is normal?"

"I guess not…" She said, knowing Wrench hadn't meant to bring up the source of her aggravation. It just slipped.

Wrench sighed, his shoulders slumping a little. "You're supposed to be letting me cheer you up. Not making this easy, Riley."

She huffed out a breath, reluctantly smiling and gesturing to the road. "Well, it wouldn't be so hard if I knew where you were taking me."

His eyes turned into two circles. "Patience you must have, my young Padawan."

"No fair. Yoda quotes are top tier and have no defense." She said smiling again, settling herself further into the seat.

Wrench gave a sort of half-bow at the waist to acknowledge his own genius and brilliance. "Well, it's a good thing we're here, then. Saved by the bell." His happy expression returned as he slowed the car to a slop on the curb.

She looked around at where they'd stopped; the road ran right up against the bay, a little nook close to the forest, and the outskirts of the city on the opposite side. It was obviously an older part of the city, because the buildings were dilapidated and rusted, crumbling, and old.

They both got out of the car, and Riley expected him to lead her towards the bay, but instead he waved her in the direction of an old junkyard. There weren't a lot of light illuminated the street or the property itself. The sign was sagging on one side, the chain long rusted and broken.

"A junkyard, huh?"

"Yuuup." He said, leading her closer to the back of the property. They forewent the front entrance, which was chained and padlocked shut. They'd need serious bolt cutters before getting in that way.

"Soo…you wanna tell me what we're doing here now?" She inquired, but he only laughed. Well, damn. It was worth a shot anyway. Switching tactics, she inspected looked around for any sign of other people. "Aren't you worried someone will find us?"

He waved her question away, walking along the fence. "Nah, the old guy who owns this place always leaves by like 8. We'll be fine."

"Uh huh." She said, disbelieving him. He turned to her and spread his hands wide.

"What? I know what I'm doing. I'm not an _amateur."_

She smiled at his offense, and held up her own hands to try placating him. "Alright, alright. Lead on, then."

Nodding that she wouldn't question him further, he walked them a bit further behind the junkyard, until they were somewhere at the very back of the property. Wrench stopped at the place where the barbed wire fencing that ran above the normal chain links was missing.

"Alright, ready?" He bent his knees and cupped his hands down low for her to use like a stepping point. Riley considered what the hell she was doing. They were breaking into a junkyard at night for some damn reason she didn't yet know. So…sure, why the hell not?

Shrugging, she stepped forward and grabbed the fence, placing one of her feet in his hands. He vaulted her up on her nonverbal cue, and she was able to scale the fence without problem. Riley swung her legs over to the other side and dropped to the ground below. It was a bit higher of a drop than she anticipated, and it took a moment to recover from the jarring in her knees.

The fence clinked and shifted as Wrench followed after her, grunting when he pulled himself up by himself over the top. She watched on, impressed by his strength. His physique wasn't what you would boast as muscular, but the guy wasn't weak either, she realized.

Wrench hoisted himself over and landed squarely on his feet when he dropped down. _He's obviously done this before_ , she thought to herself. The masked man brushed down his studded vest to be sure there weren't any tears, and let out a breath.

"Ok, follow me."

He lead her through the sparsely-lit junkyard, weaving around old, rusted cars and various odd-shaped pieces of metal. There were tables and chairs and other ends and odds just lying about. But of course, a clear path still existed through the mess so the old man who owned the place—and also Wrench, apparently—could make their way through it. Every so often there were large open spaces in the path, normally with a shed or something in it. There were also parts of the path where junk stuck out and made it difficult to get around. Wrench helped her through some of the more difficult ones, when the path became so narrow and tight, you had to shift and twist your body to get around it all.

Finally, Wrench stopped them in one of the clearings. It was lit by a single lamp post, and underneath it sat an old, wooden shed. It looked like the wood was beginning to rot away on some parts, and the paint had faded long ago. An old truck was parked to the side. Whatever color it had been had been sun-bleached away and the metal rusted away in some areas.

"Here we are! Beautiful, isn't it?" Wrench said cheerfully, spreading his hands wide to indicate the clearing. Riley looked around a little longer, then raised a brow.

"I…guess?"

His mask flashed a quick irritated expression, no doubt disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm on her part, but it quickly went back to his default Xs. He turned towards the shed and opened the door, stepping inside to shuffle around the contents within.

"So, what are we doing here?" Riley asked, crossing her arms and slowly turning to look around fully. She'd never actually been in a junkyard like this before.

"Well," Wrench said with some effort, no doubt moving something heavy aside, "you seemed like you needed to vent all this anger and when I get pissed off or something, I've found there's only one thing that helps me calm down."

"What's that?"

He seemed to find what he was looking for, and reappeared into the clearing, holding two dented, metal baseball bats. "Fucking shit up." That happy expression was back as he held them up for her to see. "Take your pick."

Riley understood his meaning, and a small smile began to form on her lips. She walked closer and retrieved one of the bats, testing its heft in her hands. Dirt coated it, which meant it got all over her fingers when she held it. It had been painted-on lettering that ran the length of it, but so much time had passed in bad conditions that it was unreadable now.

A loud metal bang made her jump in place, and she looked up to see Wrench lifting the bat from the tv he'd swung at. It sported a large spiderweb of cracks in the corner where the hit had landed. He swung again, this time puncturing it all the way through. A satisfied sigh escaped his lips, and he turned back towards her.

Riley saw his gesture to around the clearing again. "Come on, Riley. Go wild! That's why we're here."

She gave a grin, loosely holding the bat. "I'm just not used to…destroying stuff like this. I mean, it's this guy's property."

"So what? It's junk anyway."

Riley was having a hard time describing her feelings. She'd always been a bit of a rule follower, when it was appropriate. Breaking a stranger's stuff because she was having a bad day? It didn't seem right. She appreciated what Wrench was doing, and it seemed like a really good idea, but she was having trouble following through. Riley had never let out her aggression this way before.

"Alright, seems like you need a little push to get you going." Wrench sensed her hesitation, and began searching the junk piles for something. He found a ceramic statue. It was dirty and chipped, but still mostly intact. He grunted as he placed it directly in front of her.

"Ok, I want you to imagine this statue is your boss."

"But I don't want to assault my boss." The mask switched to angry slashes, and Riley shrugged. " _What?_ I don't."

"Ok then…imagine it's…I don't know. An ex-boyfriend or something?"

Riley's mind instantly pictured her last boyfriend, Jacob. It wasn't as easy to imagine his face on the statue, but imagining it was something extremely precious to him wasn't all that difficult. They hadn't been together for at least a few years, but she still recalled all the scathing comments about her weight and how much he wanted her to change. Riley would neither forgive, nor forget them.

Wrench noticed her wicked smile that followed, and pointed towards the statue. "Yeah, like that, now…fuck his shit up!"

Gritting her teeth, Riley swung back the bat and hit the ceramic statue as hard as she could manage. It hit with a loud ring, and the top of it shattered into hundreds of smaller ones. Most of it was still relatively intact, however, so she continued to beat the thing over and over until all that was left was a piles of ceramic shards. She stepped back to avoid getting cut by any of the pieces, but seeing the thing all broken and destroyed was…oddly satisfying.

"That felt…really good." She said aloud and slightly out of breath, turning her smile onto Wrench. His mask winked back at her.

"Didn't I tell you? The absolute best stress relief."

Riley turned her attention back to the junkyard, searching for her next target. She felt the prospect of feeling that again growing, and it was exciting. "What else can we break?"

* * *

Everything, apparently.

The junkyard guaranteed there was no shortage of things to swing at and destroy, and Riley was beginning to get the hang of this route of destruction as an anger management. How come she hadn't thought of this before? Riley obviously had been missing out for years now.

Wrench's own enthusiasm only served to spur her on, and they were soon full swing into a destructive rampage through the clearing. He wasn't even mad about anything that she was aware of, and yet he still wrecked and whacked things left and right with as much passion as she did. Perhaps this was him in his element, in all the destructive glory.

Riley found herself laughing each time glass exploded in a spray of bits and pieces, or something broke completely off of it's original structure. They cheered and worked up a sweat, and Riley was having the time of her life. This was awesome!

Time flew by, the sun long having set below the horizon. The night was in full swing, with crickets chirping in the darkness. She barely heard them over the sounds of their enjoyment and exertion. Before long, Riley would have trouble even remembering what she'd been upset about, instead just glad that Wrench had offered to do this with her. This time with him was so enlightening, and she felt much closer to him as a person than before.

For all they knew, the outside world didn't exist besides in that clearing.

Unbeknownst to Riley, Wrench was thrilled she was having so much fun. He had no way of knowing if this was even something she'd be interested in doing until they got here, but everything had turned out alright. The sting of rejection from the party the day before was forgotten, trumped by the small worm of hope that she enjoyed spending as much time with him as he did with her.

It boosted his own ego a bit knowing that Nick didn't have her number and Wrench did, but that was unimportant. The main reason being that Riley had chosen to spend her time with only him, and not on a date with Nick. Take that, the smug bastard. Wrench had never liked the guy anyway, glad he was all the way in the Marin. They didn't cross paths too often that way.

Maybe he shouldn't be getting this sentimental. Then he shook his head. He didn't care how sappy it might have been. He liked Riley. The only issue was learning to trust her with the ugly parts of himself. Who knew how she felt about him? Would she still look at him the same way without the mask in the way?

It must have been over an hour or two before they began getting tired of all the swinging and hitting and jarring vibrations up their arms from the metal hitting metal. Riley felt beads of sweat on her forehead, and she had to wipe it away with her arm. Her breathing was labored, but so was Wrench's. Maybe they should take a break?

"I think I need a minute." She laughed out of breath, closing her eyes from the effort. Wrench nodded, and set the bat on the ground.

"Yeah, I do too. But sit tight, I'll be right back." He said holding up a finger, before leaving the way they'd come. Riley wandered over to the truck that was parked on the edge of the clearing, opening the tailgate with a loud creak and shrill of protest. She tested the durability with her hands, pressing down to make sure it wouldn't fall away beneath her, before hopping up and letting her legs dangle down.

The night air brought with it a small chill in the wind, which felt amazing against her skin. Head tilted up towards the sky, eyes closed, Riley felt at peace. It didn't matter that she was alone in a semi-creepy junkyard in the middle of the night, the brunette couldn't have felt more in tune with herself.

Several minutes passed, giving her time to catch her breath, and she heard rustling of metal towards the pathway. Wrench emerged from the darkness after a minute, holding up a six pack of beer and some soda. "Bud or Coke. Take your pick!"

"Uh, I'll have a beer, yeah." She said, knowing she had better take it easy with the drinking. She could wash it all down with a soda after. Wrench kindly offered her one and sat beside her on the tailgate. "Thank you."

"You bet." He said, popping open his own bottle. Riley wondered if he'd take the mask off to drink. Riley realized it would be rude if she tried side-eyeing him to figure it out, and decided just to leave it be. If he wanted her to see his face, he'd take it off for himself. Riley could guess it had something to do with his self-esteem. She was the last person who would ask him to do something that might make him uncomfortable.

So Riley sipped at her beer in silence, allowing the comfortable atmosphere between them settle. She was halfway through her beer before she felt like speaking again. "That was the most fun I've had in a long time."

"What about the party?" He asked, peeking at her from the corner of his mask. He'd noticed she hadn't looked his way since he opened his beer. He wondered why.

She shrugged, giggling a little. "That was fun too, but this was just…I don't know…so much _more_ fun."

"See? Not such a terrible Saturday after all." He said proudly. Riley hummed her agreement.

He watched her out of the corner of his mask for a moment. It was crazy how comfortable he felt around her. It compelled him to talk a bit more about himself, wanting her to get to know him.

"I like to come here and destress when I don't have any shit at my garage to take apart." He started, looking back up at the stars above. They were weak and dim, given the light pollution from the city, but still visible. Just barely. "It's my own little spot that nobody knows about. A nice place to get away from everyone else."

He finished his beer in a long swig and replaced the mask over his face. Riley still didn't look at him. Huh. He wheeled his arm back and chucked the empty bottle at the shed, watching it shatter into pieces against the wood. The shards scattered all over the piles of junk.

"What would you need to escape from?" Only then did she turn her head in his direction and look at him. It clicked then that she didn't want to intrude on him and his mask. He felt a pang of gratefulness for her.

In response, he shrugged. "Just…everything."

"Even DedSec?"

Riley noticed his mask went blank for several seconds, before returning to the default Xs and staring straight ahead. "Sometimes."

"Why?"

"Don't get me wrong, they're family to me. The only one I've really had." He said hastily, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. "There are just times I can't stand them, you know?"

Riley nodded her understanding. Wrench already knew her tragic backstory, if you could call it that, so she knew he understood as well.

He gestured to the surrounding junk, 'at' symbols on his mask. "And destroying things just makes me feel like I have something I can control. It's…comforting."

"Any reason why?"

The symbols switched to being blank again, and she instantly knew she was asking too many personal questions. Wrench was a secretive person, and she had known that. Curse the alcohol for making her nosy. A thick silence persisted, and Riley shifted in her seat on the truck bed. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"It's fine…just not something I wanna talk about." He said quietly, but not in an angry way. She smiled slightly, glad she hadn't ruined the mood. Another few sips of her beer and she had finished it, and her bottle joined Wrench's on the ground in pieces.

"Want another one?" He asked, and despite her better judgement, she said yes.

Riley sped through her second, and just like every time she drank more than her lightweight self could handle, her body started feeling tingly and she became talkative.

"I can't believe what Bill did." She said out of the blue with venom, by that time laying back on the truck bed and looking upwards. Wrench was in the same position beside her, and turned to see her face.

"What?"

"Bill. My boss. I can't believe he dropped my assignment. He knew how much it meant to me. He knew all about my dad and my mom, and he still fucking dropped it. What a dick." She took a sip of the soda that Wrench had offered her after she finished her second beer. "I've wasted a year of my time working for him and his stupid company. And for what? They just abandon everything I've done, without much of an apology. And now I'm supposed to just pack up and start on something else? Are they gonna stop funding that one a year down the line too?"

"I'm serious. You want them hacked, we can hack them." Wrench offered with a happy expression. Riley shook her head, eyes still focused on the sky.

"It just doesn't make any sense! Why would they take all the time to hire me specifically for this job, then abandon it? They put a lot of money into getting me here, and into ProviBlue. That wasn't easy, I'm telling you." Riley pointed at Wrench accusingly, as if he was denying her claims.

"They said they wanted you on another assignment though, right? Maybe that's why."

Riley squinted, thinking over something before responding. "There are plenty of investigators who aren't currently out on assignment. They should have sent one of them. It doesn't. Fucking. Make. Sense." She emphasized bitterly.

Wrench shrugged. "Well, big companies are known to be asshats pretty frequently. I'm not all that surprised. It still sucks, though."

"Hmm." She said, suddenly too tired to talk further on the subject. Another silence lapsed, this one comfortable and easy. Something possessed her to lift her arm up towards the sky, as though she could actually touch the stars. Riley felt the corner of her mouth twitch into a smile. "It's so pretty." She finally said, referring to the view.

Wrench was still looking at her, and he couldn't help the heart icons that popped up for a brief moment, replaced the next instant by two wide circles. "Yeah." He agreed to her statement, not bothering to look anywhere else.

Riley tilted her head his way, and stared at him for a few seconds. "Why do you wear the mask?" She asked quietly, almost reverently.

Wrench swallowed, panicked that she'd ask him to take it off. He didn't want to deny her, but knew it was much too soon for him to be doing anything of the sort. Instead, he shrugged, trying to play it cool. "It's more comfortable on than off."

Nodding, Riley looked back upwards, processing the answer. Wrench was dreading her next question, knowing she had to be wondering what he looked like without it on. It had happened countless times before, both at DedSec parties with intrigued women, and regular dates. It's why he had decided to abandon any further attempt until…well, until he'd met Riley apparently.

Still, it was terrifying how fucking scared she made him feel when it came to this.

"You do what makes you comfortable, even if other people find it strange. I like that."

Wrench's mask turned into two hashtags. No one had said that to him. But he supposed it was true. Suddenly, she smiled wider and turned her head to look at him with a quiet laugh. "I bet you're pretty attractive under all those spikes, Wrench."

Wrench was taken aback, and two exclamation points rapidly appeared on his mask, blinking from surprise. He was glad he was wearing the mask in that moment to hide the fact that his face was turning a very visible shade of red. Unable to keep her gaze, he looked back up towards the sky and laughed nervously.

"And _I_ think you're just drunk."

Riley took a moment to think on that before nodding with a mischievous grin. "You may be right." She propped herself up into a sitting position again, and held her head when the blood rushed down.

"Getting tired?" He questioned, seeing her yawn deeply. She mutely nodded, rubbing at her eyes to try keeping them open a bit longer. "Let's get you home, then."

"Ok."

Wrench jumped off the truck bed and guided her back the way they'd come. She followed behind him obediently, doing an excellent job of not falling even in her slightly drunk state. He was thankful to be in front, though. So Riley couldn't see the heart icons crossing his mask occasionally.

* * *

 

The things he did for this job, he swore. The two were in a junkyard of all places. Who knew what kind of filthy bugs and bacteria were festering in there? At least he could enjoy the relative cleanliness of the nearby roof. It may be dirty, but it wasn't as bad as the junk down there. He shook his head, trying to realign the camera to fit both people into the frame.

Thankfully, he'd thought to bug the car before setting up his spying post here. He should get lots of audio on their way back to dropping her off.

Before he could think further on it, they both hopped off the truck and wandered towards the way they'd come. He snapped one last fleeting picture, before packing up his equipment and disappearing into the night.


	12. Trusting One Another

Marcus had noticed Wrench was strangely quiet the past few days around the hackerspace. Normally, it was a task in itself getting the guy to shut up once he started on a tangent. The guy always had something to say. Unusually, he mainly kept to his corner of the HQ and silently worked on his stuff. Or, at least, pretended to work on it. Marcus had a sneaking suspicion the man was too distracted by something to actually work.

Sitara seemed to notice this about him, too, because after two days of this odd behavior, she pulled Marcus aside and pointed at Wrench over her shoulder. "What's with him?"

Marcus shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know." He followed where she pointed, seeing him twirl around a few piece of cable in his hand, the other holding a wire cutter. However, he'd been staring at them for ten minutes already without doing anything.

"I've never seen him like this. Maybe something's wrong…" She said, casting a concerned gaze in his direction.

Marcus pursed his lips, humming thoughtfully. "Yeah, I doubt that. If something was wrong, we'd know."

Sitara lifted her hands up, clueless. "Well, go talk to him? You're his best friend. He might be more willing to explain things to you. And, you can be convincing when you need to be."

He perked up, cracking an amused smile. "Oh really? Like when?"

Sitara chuckled and rolled her eyes, not taking his bait. "Go work your magic, Prince Charming." She gently pushed Marcus in Wrench's direction, before returning to her own personal workspace.

He stumbled forward a step, rolling his eyes, before approaching the masked man quietly.

"What're you working on there?"

"Hmm?" Wrench hummed, as if surprised by his presence, then turned his eyes back to the things in his hands. "Oh just…this."

" _'_ _This?'_ " Marcus raised a brow, gesturing to the items. "What exactly is this?"

"…" Wrench was silent a moment, then finally shook his head and put them down on the counter. "I actually can't remember now."

Marcus laughed a little, crossing his arms and leaning up against the counter beside him. "Ok, something's up. You're a crazy motherfucker for sure, but I've never known you to be forgetful. Talk."

Wrench shrugged, trying to play it off. Problem was, it all came out in a rush. "Idon'tknowwhatyoumean-"

"Bullshit. You've been…I don't know… _drifting_ , the past couple days. Not once since I joined have you never been hyper focused on our goal." Marcus waited for him to say something, until he just made a blind guess. He had a feeling he was right about it anyway. "Is this about Riley?"

That got his attention. Wrench's head jerked up quicker than necessary "Shh, man, keep it down. Don't go shouting it out to the whole group."

Alright. So it _was_ about her. Marcus could work with that. "Did something happen between you two?" Suddenly getting excited at the possibilities, Marcus grinned wider and punched his arm. "Yo, you two dating?"

"What? No!" Wrench denied. The X's on his mask turned into angry slashes. The lack of embarrassment made Marcus believe him. "And I never said it was about her."

His friend scoffed in disbelief. "Uh huh. So if it ain't her, than what is it?"

Wrench looked around blankly for a moment, as if searching for a suitable answer. "Uh…death in the family."

Marcus replied instantly. "You hate your family anyway."

"My dog ran away."

"You don't have one. Also, you hate those too." These excuses were getting more and more ridiculous, but Wrench was adamant about not admitting it.

"I was diagnosed with schizophrenia?"

Marcus shook his head. "Ok, enough with that. Just lay it on me. I won't tell a soul. Promise." He held out his pinky in the old-fashioned yet still-honored method. Wrench stared at the offered finger and finally reciprocated, linking them together.

"Ok, ok…" He admitted, growing quieter so Sitara and Josh wouldn't hear. Marcus leaned closer to hear better. Though it took several moments of working up the nerve, he still got the words out.

"A couple days ago Riley was sort of…upset, and I offered to help her blow off steam." He saw Marcus' suggestive face and flashed two angry slashes again. "Not that!"

"Ok!" Marcus held up his hands defensively, allowing him to continue.

"Anyway, I took her to a place I knew and we just sort of…talked. For a long time. I realize I like spending time with her, and she seemed to have fun, and all in all…I have a thing for Riley."

Marcus held a hand up, palm upwards. "We already talked about this at the party, man. Did you forget everything from that night?"

"It's a little hazy, but that's not the point." Wrench waved his hand holding the wire cutters, dismissing that line of conversation. "It's just…I knew it was a thing but…now it's a _thing_ thing. You know?"

"Yea…" Marcus slowly began nodding his head, but it quickly morphed into a definitive shake negative. "…nah. What's the difference?"

The masked man sighed, putting down his tools and cables. "A thing just means you're interested, whereas a _thing,"_ Wrench's mask flashed quotation marks to show emphasis, "is something…more."

Marcus shrugged. "So, what…you love her?"

"That is a forbidden word!" Wrench hissed quietly, pointing at him accusingly. "Call it…an extreme crush that I can't get out of my head."

Marcus finally smiled, punching him playfully in the arm a couple times. "Aww, the Wrench has feelings. Should I buy a tux for the wedding?"

Wrench stood straighter and turned to walk away, but Marcus laughed and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Stop, I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. But seriously. Good for you, man. Have you told her yet?"

"No…I don't know if I should." He admitted uncomfortably, crossing his arms as if to ward off the question.

Marcus held up both hands in confusion. "Why the hell not? And don't say the mask, because you know that won't be a problem if you trust her enough."

Wrench shook his head, looking away shyly. "…Her boss pulled the plug on her assignment, so she's going back by the end of the month."

"What? For real?" Wrench nodded. "Why?"

"Not sure. But the point is, if she's leaving, how would a relationship work?"

Marcus shook his head, thinking the answer was obvious. "I've heard long distance things aren't the worst. And she'd only be, what, 2…3 hours away? You could make it work."

"That's betting on the fact she even feels the same way. Or would want to make it work." Wrench pointed out, and Marcus nodded his agreement.

"Well, yeah. But you won't know 'til you take the chance, Wrench."

"…Who says I want to?" Was his stubborn question, eyes changing into three dots on either side, but Marcus wasn't having it. All this naysaying was just Wrench's way of protecting himself from potential heartache, but even Marcus had heard enough of the pessimism. The dude had to either commit or give up his feelings. No other way. He straightened, slapping the masked man on the shoulder comfortingly.

"If you didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Wrench had nothing to say to that. Giving him a few more pats on his shoulder, Marcus walks towards Josh's desk to go over some intel from the last op, and to see if there were any other leads on new targets. He looked back over his shoulder, seeing Wrench standing there thoughtfully.

* * *

 

Riley was practically giddy inside when she received another text from DedSec that morning. She had yet to leave the house, finishing up her makeup when they contacted her. Her inevitably boring workday was about to get a lot more interesting, she just knew.

_Riley, Marcus could use some help getting into the ProviBlue servers. We need to install a backdoor. Think you can help?_

**_You bet. What do you need?_ **

_He just needs a way into the building without detection, but security has tightened since the exposure video was released. Maybe you have an idea?_

Riley chewed on her lower lip in thought. Hmm. How could Marcus get into the building? There weren't a lot of options on the ground floor besides going directly through the front. All personnel went through the same front entrance, and they all had databased badges that were scanned when you walked in. Not very easy to bypass without alerting somebody.

**_I'll see if I can figure something out. I'll keep you posted._ **

At least, she hoped. So far, she didn't have any ideas, and the last thing she wanted to do was let DedSec down.

* * *

 

Her drive to work was a very distracted one. Ideas kept turning around in her brain. Ways to infiltrate, possible rooftop entrances, and just the general location of the servers in general. They were located in the basement levels, but which exact floor and behind what door, Riley wasn't sure. Her daily duties didn't give her access to that information.

It wasn't until she parked in the employee parking lot did she come up with a somewhat solid plan. If an employee lost their badge, they were issued a new one at the security gate. If Riley could get a new badge, and maintain her old one, things might just work.

She walked into the building, trying not to look too inconspicuous. The security guard at the check-in was reading a newspaper, and looked up when she reached the desk. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. I somehow misplaced my badge at home and I can't find it anywhere. I'm really sorry, but could I get a new one?" She tried to look as sincere and apologetic as possible. Which wasn't hard. She had plenty of practice pretending.

The guard gave an obviously fake smile, and a not-so-subtle eye roll before rising from his chair. "Yeah. Come on over."

"Thank you." She said, following him into a side office.

He instructed she sit in a chair facing a small camera, and smiled for the ID photograph. Once done, he operated the computer and within minutes she had a new badge printed and dangling on a lanyard.

"Try not to lose that one." The security guard grumped, following her out the door into the lobby.

"Thank you, I won't." She said, scanning the new badge across the scanner. It blinked green, and she walked into the sales area of the first floor.

The walk to her desk was a quick one, and she had herself situated in no time. Dan was there before her this morning, an unusual occurrence, so she made sure to be extra careful when sending her text to Josh.

**_Ok, I think I have an idea. I told security I lost my badge, and they made me another one. I can get this to Marcus on my lunch break, and he should be able to use it to get inside. They would think he was an employee._ **

After a few minutes, Josh responded back.

_That should work. Where and when can you meet?_

**_I take lunch at 12:45. Meet me at Spruce, if you can._ **

There were a few more minutes before a reply.

_He'll be there._

* * *

She checked her watch, glancing around for any sign of Marcus. He was a little late. She'd already sat down in the outdoor patio dining area and ordered her food. Normally, DedSec was early, or relatively on-time. Maybe there was some holdup or-

Before she had time to finish the thought, someone hopped the little fence dividing the restaurant seating with the sidewalk beside it, and slid into the seat across from her. Marcus smiled back, folding his hands on the table in front of him.

"How's it going, Riley?"

She smiled, setting down her drink. "Pretty good. You guys looking to target ProviBlue again?

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Not specifically, but you never know when a backdoor into their servers will come in handy. Better to be prepared beforehand."

"I understand." She nodded, twisting in place to reach for her bag hanging on the back of her chair. "And this is for you."

She produced the badge and slid it over to him. "You'll need to change the picture, but I'm sure digital picture editing is something you guys can handle, right?"

"Josh'll have this fixed in no time. The kid's a genius when it comes to these things." Marcus said, inspecting both sides.

"I bet." She said. Marcus suddenly leaned forward, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking…what do you think of Wrench?"

The question took her by surprise, and her brows furrowed naturally. "Wrench? What about him?"

Marcus shrugged, giving a noncommittal expression. "Just…first impressions, thoughts, feelings, anything."

Riley didn't know exactly where the question was coming from, but she didn't want to seem rude. Perhaps her silence would give him the wrong impression, that maybe she didn't like him or something. That wouldn't be good.

"Uh, well, he's definitely different, that's for sure." Thinking back to the way he'd gleefully smashed up the junk in that junkyard had her smiling involuntarily. "And funny. I've never met someone quite with a sense of humor like him. And..well, he's a much better hack than I am."

"That's all?" He pried, raising his brows. Riley tilted her head and thought, not quite sure what else she was supposed to say.

"I mean…I wonder what he looks like under the mask but, I know that's important to him so…I guess?" She shrugged, taking another sip of her iced tea. Marcus didn't appear to believe her though.

"Uh huh. So if you had the chance to go on a date with him, you'd say no?"

"Where did-" Riley coughed up some of her drink, not expecting so blunt of a question at all. Marcus handed her one of the table napkins, and she covered her mouth while trying to express the liquid that had accidentally gone down her airways. After a moment, most of it passed and she grimaced.

"I mean…I didn't say…why do you ask?" She was sure her face was bright red by now, and judging by Marcus' satisfied expression, it was.

"No reason. Just had to know."

Riley was about to question him further on the matter, wondering why he was so interested in her feelings for Wrench, but the waiter returned to the table with her food. They paused, seeing Marcus.

"Oh, will there be a second for the table?" They asked, setting her food down in front of her slowly. He tucked the badge into his bag and held up his hands.

"Oh, no thanks. I was just leaving."

"Not staying for a bite?" Riley asked, already salting her baked macaroni and cheese. Part of her wanted some time to herself now that he was asking tough and embarrassing questions, but she'd be remiss if she didn't at least offer him lunch. "I'll buy if you're hungry."

"Ooh, tempting," He said, pointing tow fingers her way, "but I really should get going. Lots of things to do."

"Suit yourself." She said, giving him a friendly wave as he left over the fence where he'd come from. She watched him saunter his was down the street, eyes on his phone, until he disappeared from sight. She returned her attention to her meal, slightly shaken by his questions. Did he suspect something of her? Or…another thought made her blush deeper.

Did Wrench mention something to him?

* * *

 

The rest of the day went by as usual for her. Work was fast and then slow, busy and then dead. Her time was taken over by replying to emails and answering calls. At least the customers weren't too grouchy today, or at least, she managed not to get the calls with the pissed off ones. It was an average day, all in all.

For awhile, Riley hadn't been able to think of anything besides her conversation with Marcus earlier, but eventually work picked up and she had no time to do so. Her attention was completely thrown into completing tasks as they were given, and before long, it was only a few hours until her shift was over.

Suddenly, a couple security guards ran past her cubicle, talking quietly into their radios. It was too low to hear exactly what they were saying, but she was willing to bet what was happening. it wasn't too often a security issue came up, and her conversation with Marcus that morning was no coincidence to this. She hid a smirk, eyes never straying from her screen.

There was a moment when the lights flickered throughout the first floor. At one point, she thought she heard a loud pop or low boom, barely out of her hearing, but she could have been imagining it. Some of the employees murmured suspiciously in the cubicles around her, no doubt having noticed the security running by and the strange occurrences up on the sales floor, wondering what was going on. She wasn't concerned, and continued talking with the customer on the phone at the time.

Marcus must have ended up getting noticed by security. There was no other reason for them to suspect anything had been wrong. Riley shook her head.

 _You're slipping…_ She thought with amusement.

* * *

 

Higher management must have wanted to keep the incident under wraps so the employees didn't know, because there was no major announcement or alarm that rang out. The day ended as normal, and nobody stopped Riley at the door. She was half afraid they'd realize that she had a hand in him getting into the building, but that was a long shot. How would they know? The exchange had happened at a restaurant a few miles away.

Riley was just about to enter her car when Sitara sent a message.

_I've got a special mission for you. Interested?_

Riley smiled, somewhat tired but always enthusiastic when it came to anything DedSec.

**_Sure. What've you got?_ **

_Come by Gary's Games and Glory, and wait for further instructions ;)_

**_Ooh, cryptic. What exactly will I be doing?_ **

_You'll just have to go there and find out!_

Riley shook her head, opening her car door and sitting in the driver's seat. If this was all just to gain her interest, well, it was definitely working. What did they want her to do at a game store? Two missions in one day? It seemed their partnership was starting to expand a bit further.

Riley reached the game store, and parked in the side parking lot. There were only a few cars here. She stepped out, looking around for any sign of DedSec. Nothing. Humming to herself with intrigue, Riley closed the door behind her, locking her car up, and walked to the entrance.

The inside smelled…vaguely familiar. She frowned, trying to place it. It was nice and quiet, with people focusing on their games and comics and books. A few looked up when she entered, but most paid her no attention. She didn't recognize anyone inside, so she texted Sitara.

**_Ok, I'm here. Now what?_ **

_Go all the way to the back. There should be a door. Open it with the code 0935._

Lifting her gaze, she spotted an smaller opening directly opposite at the end of the store. She made her way there, letting her eyes roam around the shop. This place was pretty cool. Some of the figurines she'd have to come back and get her hands on.

There was a woman on her phone in the back corner. She looked up but eventually lost interest in Riley, going back to whatever it was she was doing. There was a door on the other side, with a keypad beside it.

Glancing over her shoulder because, honestly she didn't know what exactly she'd find behind the door, Riley hesitantly typed in the code. There was a moment of nothing, before the door slid open sideways, like in a sci-fi universe. Riley's mouth formed a perfect 'O' from the sheer coolness of that, and she stepped inside a bit more eagerly than before.

As soon as she looked at the long flight of concrete stairs heading downwards, Riley knew where she was, and a pleased smile overtook her lips. She descended the steps to see the unforgettable DedSec hackerspace.

Sitara glanced up when she heard Riley's footsteps. "Hey, you made it." She said, putting down one of her spray cans. "Hey gang, Riley's here!"

Riley looked over to see Marcus raise a hand in greeting from the couch. Josh glanced over from his desk, and Wrench waved from his place on the futon facing the screens. It looked like he was watching a movie or something. They all called out in greeting. She looked back towards Sitara, smiling stupidly. "You guys are entrusting me with the hackerspace location?"

"Of course." The hacker said, as if there weren't any other answer. "You've definitely earned our trust and respect. Just, be sure not to break it."

"I won't." Riley pledged hurriedly, shaking her head. Sitara laughed at her seriousness, holding out a fist. They fist bumped each other, and she held out a hand to the space.

"Allow me to officially welcome you to DedSec, Riley. Feel free to come and go as you like."

Riley felt a small swell of pride. "Thanks."

Sitara went back to her art, leaving Riley to slowly step further into the hackerspace. She first went to Marcus, who was on his phone, laying back on the couch.

"Hey, Marcus. How did the backdoor install go?" She asked, gaining his attention.

"Pretty well, thanks to that badge."

She raised a brow. "But…?"

He rolled his eyes, shrugging like it wasn't a big deal. "Security _might_ have spotted me on one of the cameras getting down to the lower levels, but despite that, everything went off without a hitch."

She laughed, rolling her shoulders to get rid of a knot. "Yeah, well, maybe next time be a bit more stealthy and you won't cause everyone up in the sales floor to realize something's up."

"Shit, _you_ try doing it next time. See how well you do."

Riley shook her head, not liking that idea. "I think I'll let you handle the dirty work."

He nodded smugly. "That's what I thought."

They both laughed, and she eventually wandered over to where Wrench was watching something on the many screens they had mounted to the wall. The iconic scenes of The Shining was playing, and she sat on the couch beside him.

"You like The Shining too?" She asked, already rapt into the story. The 'RedruM' scene was just beginning. Wrench turned to her with happy eyes. She liked seeing that expression.

"Hell yeah! The greatest horror movie of it's time. No contest."

Riley laughed, eyes returning to the screen. "I still can't watch it without the lights on or someone else with me, though."

" _Really?"_ He asked, turning to her in disbelief.

Riley shrugged. "What? I have an overactive imagination. I might love horror movies, but I'm terrified of them!"

Wrench's mask now displayed two hashtag symbols, and he hummed. "Well, I can handle horror pretty well, so if you ever need a buddy, I'm your guy."

"I appreciate that. Now I can finally go see 'It' without feeling like I'll be murdered that night." She smiled wide, and Wrench wasn't able to look at it long. Just looking at her vibrant smile sent a pang of…warmth…through his chest. He shifted in his seat trying to force it down, but luckily the movie afforded him the distraction needed so he didn't have to answer.

Riley, on her part, wondered if he would actually go see all these movies with her, or if he were just being nice. Marcus' comments earlier at the restaurant gave her some hope, but only a small amount. No need to get her spirits up just to have them crushed again, right?

* * *

 

"Ma'am, I think we've got something you'll want to see." The chief of ProviBlue security said, holding up a tablet computer. Sandra Jennings looked up from her own desktop, staring at him a moment before waving him inside her office. The chief shut the door behind him and sat in the chair facing her.

"What is this?" She asked when he handed her the tablet. The screen showed a still-frame of a security camera posted in the front lobby.

"Somehow, the culprit got their hands on an ID badge to get in. They passed right through without anyone knowing otherwise." Right in the middle was the dark-skinned man that the knocked-out guards had described regarding the break-in to their servers. They hadn't been able to catch him or retrieve the data he'd stolen, and Sandra was not a very happy woman at the moment.

She tapped the screen and it began to play, showing how he casually scanned the ID against the scanners, which let him through without incident. Without so much as a glance around him, he sauntered inside towards the elevator. Sandra scowled, placing the tablet on her desk angrily.

"How is it they can just waltz right through our front door? I want answers." She demanded, and the chief nodded evenly.

"We might be able to help with that. See, we traced back to figure out the exact barcode number on the ID," he picked up the tablet from the desk and tapped the screen a few times, finally turning it back to her, "and were able to match it with one made this morning for a Riley Clarke."

Sandra stared at the employee picture of a young brunette woman. "She claimed to have lost her ID and needed a new one." The chief added helpfully. This…Riley, didn't look familiar by face alone, but they employed hundreds of people here. The boss of a company this big couldn't be expected to remember every single one of them. She narrowed her eyes, looking through her file.

"Hired about a year ago…" She muttered, scrolling down over the information. "A loan officer, with no previous offenses or reasons for concern." Sandra looked back up at the chief security guard. "Are we sure she didn't just have this one stolen?"

He shrugged. "That's what we thought at first, but we wanted to double check. And it turns out she used her original ID badge returning from lunch today. DIdn't say a word about her newly issued one."

"Hmm." Sandra felt an immense amount of satisfaction, finally having a lead as to who might be leaking the company information. But this woman had no other information or security clearance than the average worker. How had she gotten a hold of the information they had been exposed for?

She handed him the tablet again. "I want a full investigation done, and then we'll bring her forward to face the consequences. Make it airtight. No room for doubt."

"Yes, Ma'am." He said, taking her wave of dismissal as his leave.


	13. Get Me Out Of Here!

Riley and Wrench were nearly through with the movie, when Josh hurriedly stood from his desk and paced over to Marcus and Sitara. "Shit shit shit shit shit…" He muttered, and they both shared a confused glance. Wrench paused the movie and stood to follow after him, Riley right behind him.

"Shit shit shit shit-"

"Hey, man, what's going on?" Marcus asked, expression rife with concern. Josh's shoulders were tense, and he clenched and unclenched his hands out of nervousness. Something was obviously wrong.

Riley and Wrench slowly approached as he started to explain in a breathless rush. "I was looking at our numbers, how many people dowloaded our app, how much processing power we had available, and that's when I saw it…"

"'It'…what 'it?' What?" Wrench asked, coming up beside the hooded hacker with Riley. She stood slightly off to the side, unsure if this pertained to her or not. She really wasn't sure what was going on anyway. Though, it appeared no one did either.

Josh let out a sigh, then answered. "A chunk of our followers and bots came from inactive or dead !Nvite accounts."

Riley saw Sitara's eyes widen, and Marcus held up a hand in both concern and to try calming Josh down enough to get more information from him. He seemed about ready to hyperventilate or something.

"Hey wait…so someone used a social media site to boost our numbers? Who?"

Wrench gently hit his shoulder. "And how many fucking accounts, man?"

Riley noticed Josh was swaying side to side in agitation, and Marcus' attempts to calm him weren't really working. She was guessing this was very bad.

"I don't know who, but it came from someone inside !Nvite. Someone with admin access, I'm sure of that. As for how many…" Josh walked closer to the laptop on the counter and typed a few commands, finally stepping back to reveal a pie chart that represented their numbers. 3/4 of it was green. The other 1/4 was…

Wrench's mask displayed two angry slashes, and he slammed his fist into the table. "Fuck me!" He shouted, throwing his hands up in the air and walking away. Riley stepped back, not wanting to get in his way while he was upset. She hadn't really seen him angry like that before.

The others gasped or groaned in realization that this was a potential risk. Marcus walked away with Wrench, trying to clear his head and look at this from an objective stand point. Riley chewed her bottom lip nervously, standing there unsure what to do.

"I'm sorry! Sorry, I didn't check. It's all my fault, I didn't check." Josh apologized profusely, but Sitara laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Josh, hun, it's not your fault."

"No, I didn't check!"

Riley walked over to join Wrench and Marcus who were in a better state of mind than Josh. She crossed her arms, trying to come up with theories. "Maybe someone in !Nvite is a fan of DedSec? They might be trying to boost your influence that way?"

Marcus shook his head, pacing a little. "Yeah, or maybe we're getting set up to get fucked."

Riley conceded that point, knowing it could also be the case. The truth was, none of them had any answers, only guesses, and they could only try to figure out the motives behind this strange discovery. The whole gang was nervous. She hadn't anticipated something like this happening to shake the whole gang's peace of mind.

Sitara had managed to calm Josh down a bit, but Riley could still hear him mumbling 'I should have checked' under his breath. The group formed up again, this time to discuss the problem.

"Look, there's no use debating amongst ourselves. We need to find out for sure."

Wrench pointed towards the lead hacker. "Marcus, I'll find you a way inside." He promised, walking over to the couch where his laptop was sitting. Riley debated whether he would appreciate her hovering while he worked, but figured he would tell her to leave if he needed space. She walked away from the others, leaving Marcus to try convincing Josh that he wasn't to blame for all of this. He honestly wasn't, but the poor kid really thought it all came down on his shoulders.

Wrench was already typing away once she sat beside him. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked quietly, seeing he was focus on his work. She was half expecting him to ignore her and ask her to go somewhere else, but surprisingly he gave her a full acknowledgement and nodded enthusiastically.

"Actually, yeah. Grab that other laptop over there," he pointed to one on his workspace desk, "and help me look through the information we have in Blume's servers. !Nvite uses ctOS, so there should be data to get us into the building somewhere there."

"Ok." She agreed with a smile, rising to fetch the laptop he specified. It felt good to be needed, even in some small way. Riley took her seat beside him again, and he got her into his system. He got the coding system all set up for her, then gave her the device to use. The both of them took their time in perusing the data that Marcus' ctOS backdoor afforded them, looking for anything that might help them get into !Nvite.

* * *

 

They searched for some time, before Marcus wandered over to where her and Wrench were sitting. "Have anything yet?"

"Uhh…nothing substantial, but we're following !Nvite's default security manual information, so we should have something soon here." Riley answered, offering him an enthusiastic glance.

"You off to check it out?" Wrench asked.

Marcus gave an affirmative nod, rubbing his hands together. "Hell yeah. We'll get to the bottom of this."

Wrench and Marcus shared a fist bump, and then the hacker jogged towards the stairs leading out of the hackerspace. Riley watched him go, slightly worried. None of them knew what was going on with these fake accounts, none of them knew what they were up against or even if something was wrong, but she had a bad feeling regarding this whole situation.

"What's wrong?" Wrench asked, noticing her concern. He stopped typing and turned towards her. She shrugged.

"Is he gonna be alright?" She gestured towards where Marcus had gone.

Wrench's mask showed his happy expression, and he waved a hand dismissively. "Eh, he'll be fine. Marcus has done this a thousand times."

"If you say so." She said, finally turning back to the laptop and continuing the search for anything that would help Marcus.

* * *

 

Riley and Wrench eventually found the default codes for !Nvite's front doors to gain access to the building without suspicion, but it was another thing trying to hack into the elevator to get to the CEO's office. It was specifically for her office, and only she had the code to get in.

"Fuck, it's not here." Wrench punched the couch's arm in anger. "I've gone through everything, but there's nothing for the elevator."

Riley wanted to say something to reassure him, to let him know he wasn't at fault, but she was beaten to the punch.

 _"_ _Relax, I'll find a way in. There's gotta be an override code or something in security to get me in."_ Marcus said through the comm channel, sounding extremely calm given the fact that he was deep within the building of !Nvite. Any number of people could happen to stumble across him, but Riley thought he didn't sound fazed at all. Wrench must have been right. He probably had done this a thousand times before.

"We can try to help through security feeds, but looks like the CEO's office is on a separate grid. Once your inside, we won't be able to help." Sitara said from the table, her own laptop up and running as she tried pulling camera feeds from inside the building.

_"_ _Just keep me posted."_

"You do the same." Josh said worriedly.

* * *

 

 _"_ _I unlocked the elevator. Heading there now."_ Marcus said finally, and the crew breathed a small sigh of relief. Part one down, now they just had to figure out the purpose behind these fake accounts. Hopefully the CEO's computer would have the information they were looking for.

Several minutes passed, and then Marcus pinged the comm channel again. " _Heading up to her office. I'm gonna get us some answers."_

"Good luck, Marcus. We're with you." Sitara reassured, glancing around at the DedSec members still at the hackerspace. Everyone must have worn a nervous expression, because she nodded slowly and gave a weak smile.

They all just had to trust Marcus knew what he was doing. There was still room for error, after all.

* * *

 

There was radio silence on the comm channel for several minutes. Sitara tried getting through to Marcus after five minutes without communication, but there wasn't any response. The gang at the hackerspace began to feel like something wasn't right here. Riley, who was still flipping through the security feeds throughout the building to be sure there wasn't anything suspicious going on suddenly froze, her feed now showing the downstairs lobby.

"Uh…guys?" She turned her screen for the others to see. At least four police cars and a dozen policemen were locked down outside the front entrance, their lights flashing and sirens going off.

"Shit!" Sitara whispered. Just then, they heard Marcus come in over the comm channel again. At least he was alright. For now.

_"_ _Fuck. I got played…fuck!"_

"Cops are surrounding the building, get out of there." Sitara relayed.

 _"_ _Fuck!"_ He yelled, no doubt thinking things had gone from bad to worse. They could see him searching left and right, but standing in place, as if unsure where to go.

"Marcus! They're surrounding the building. Get pissed later and get out now!" Sitara demanded, an expression of both anger and fear etching her face now. They were all thinking the same thing. These cops were probably going to shoot on-sight rather than try to bring him into custody. He had to act now.

They all tried looking for an opening that he could escape, fingers tapping keys with precision and speed. Josh had tapped into the police's radio so they could see what information they knew. Riley, however, was feeling panicked. Her ops had never had this degree of danger for someone else's life. Sure, she took on a degree of danger posing as people she wasn't, but this time it wasn't her at risk. This time it was someone she knew. That was all the worse in her opinion.

"They've got the south and north sides of the building completely blocked off." Riley reported as Marcus tried finding an escape.

"West is your best bet." Wrench said over comms, joining Riley in finding him a way outside. "There are still cops, but nowhere near the amount at the entrance."

_"_ _Any backdoor that way?"_

"No…" The masked man replied bitterly. "You might have to go through a window."

_"_ _I'm on the sixth floor!"_

Riley had a feeling Wrench was going to retort back something less than polite, so she jumped in before he could. "You'll have to get to the first floor, then. There appears to be small offices on the west side, you could get out through there."

 _"_ _Shit, how do I get there?"_ He asked, already closing the elevator door.

Riley's mind was working overtime, the adrenaline helping her think clearer. "Uh…scratch that, they've got most of the first floor secure. You'll have to go to the second floor. Think you can make that jump?"

 _"_ _Sounds like I don't have a choice."_ He retorted.

Riley nodded, switching camera feeds to guide her way. "Alright, when you get out of the elevator, hook a left and go all the way to the end of the hallway."

The whole team provided updates on the progress the cops made in the building. By the time Marcus made it to the second floor, the police had cleared the entire first level and were beginning to proceed upwards. While they kept surveillance, Riley focused on getting him out of the building. "You're gonna have to hurry." She said as delicately as possible.

 _"_ _Gee, thanks for the heads up."_ Came his sarcastic reply. Riley ignored the bitter tone, knowing he was just as stressed as they were.

"Ok, now take the second right, and there'll be a row of offices. The ones on the right should have windows that face west." She said, watching him do as instructed. Marcus ran to one of the middle offices and went inside. "Just uh, be careful on the way down."

There was silence, and Wrench switched over to a camera on the west side of the building. Riley leaned over and watched with bated breath, hoping her instructions would work out. The second floor wasn't a short fall, but Marcus was adept at parkour, so there was a higher chance of him making it without getting hurt.

A few cops patrolled the west side, but were far apart and sparse, considering there wasn't an actual entrance on this side. All of a sudden, the camera picked up on the edge of its range a figure running across the grass and towards the buildings opposite.

"He's out!" She called, gaining everyone's attentions. Marcus disappeared down an alley, and a few cops were running to try to catch up with him. The police radio reported the direction he'd gone in, but they wasted precious moments scrambling for their vehicles while Marcus was already out of sight. The few police that had been closest weren't responding, no doubt taken out by the hacker, and the others now had no last known location of where he was.

"He's just gotta shake the cops now." Josh said positively, already working on getting traffic cam feeds to see if they could find him.

* * *

 

Marcus evaded the police fairly easily. He stole a motorcycle going the opposite direction of the hackerspace, then abandoned it to hijack another car, driving slowly and inconspicuously to avoid any police attention. The others were relieved, but wouldn't feel totally comfortable until he was back at the base. Another fifteen minutes passed before he stepped through the door.

"Marcus!" Sitara called, meeting him at the bottom of the stairs for a tight hug. "Thank god you're alright. It was touch and go for a minute there."

The others crowded around him, relieved to have their friend back in one piece. Riley stood just behind Wrench, watching as the others greeted him warmly. Marcus eventually noticed her and brought her in for a hug as well, much to her surprise.

"Thanks for getting me out of there." He said quietly, stepping back from the embrace.

Riley nodded awkwardly. "Oh, yeah, no problem."

As the relief slowly faded, the reality of what happened began to descend on their thoughts once more. They all gathered around the table and Marcus relayed the information Dušan had told him.

"He's been playing us this whole time?" Sitara questioned in outrage.

Marcus nodded. "According to him, we've been the main driving force for ctOS' quick expansion." He held up a finger. " _And…_ the fake account bots he created were all deleted."

"So, we're only working at 75% power now." Josh concluded. Riley saw Wrench's mask take on his angry slashes, and he pounded the table.

"Fuck! Fucking…fuck!" He yelled standing in agitation. He paced the area behind the table. Riley felt the same way, but was much more reserved in showing it. She sat silently, observing, one hand rubbing her temple.

"It's not that bad." Josh said, but Sitara gestured angrily.

"We look like a bunch of chumps!"

"God…fucking…dammit!" Next thing they knew, Wrench picked up one of the metal folding chairs and tossed it across the space, earning everyone's attention. At this rate, he'd start destroying precious equipment.

Sitara rolled her eyes. "Wrench, calm the fuck down! It's not helping."

He let out a breath, turning to pick the chair back up. "Yeah, you're right…it's not helping." He admitted, setting the chair back in it's place beside Riley and sitting back down aggressively. The brunette waited several seconds, before reaching over to touch his shoulder. He jerked his head up, but she tried giving him a calming smile, hoping it would do something. She felt utterly useless right now, but maybe this would somehow help.

Wrench's mask switched from the angry slashes to three dots on either side, and he looked down silently. However, he didn't push her away or tell her to stop, so she didn't immediately let go until his shoulders weren't as tense.

"Marcus, you got anything to say?" Sitara asked, looking over at him. Up until then, he'd sat silently, processing all of this.

Marcus looked around at the group with a solemn expression. Riley hadn't ever seen it on him before. It was…unnatural. He spread his hands and shrugged. "Well guys…I'll be honest with you. I genuinely don't have a plan…"

They all seemed to look away in disappointment, but he started speaking again. "But I got an idea and I don't know…just trust me on this one." They tried gauging his idea from his face, but he wouldn't give anything away. He stood, clasping his hands together. "For now, why don't we go home and get some rest. I'll tell you about it after we all have a chance to sleep. It's been a long fucking day."

Riley nodded and stood with the others, eager to go home after all that adrenaline had left her body. Pants was probably starving, and the sound of a shower was heavenly right now.


	14. Eyes Full Of Stars

"Swelter Skelter?" Riley asked, unfamiliar with the term. "What's that?"

 _"_ _It's this weird festival held in the desert up north. I guess you could call it San Fransisco's version of Burning Man. You haven't heard of it before?"_ Wrench sounded genuinely excited to go, and genuinely confused that she wasn't aware of it.

"No, I've only been here for like a year, remember? And all I've done is work the whole time."

_"_ _Well then, you're in for a treat. It's in a few days, so you still have time to find something to wear."_

Riley frowned, grabbing for the next pair of pants that needed folding. It was late evening the day after Marcus' big escape from the !Nvite building, and Riley was taking it easy as instructed. Work had been nerve-wracking. Nothing was different, per se, but she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched all day long. It had felt relieving to clock out at the end of the day and go home, where she had a load of chores to accomplish.

In response to his remark on an outfit, Riley shook her head. "Is there a certain dress code or something?"

_"_ _What? No way, you can wear whatever the hell you want."_

She was having a hard time seeing the significance. "Ok, then I'll just go in a t-shirt and jeans or something."

Wrench gave an amused and disappointed laugh. " _No, no no…this is a festival! The whole point is to express yourself in a way you don't get to on a daily basis! Come on, Riley. Promise me you'll try."_

The brunette laughed, amused by how much this thing apparently meant to Wrench. "Ok, ok! Jeez, I'll try to find something that 'expresses my inner desires,' or something. Calm down."

 _"_ _Awesome! If you need ideas, I'm sure Sitara could help. She's all about representing a certain image and all that."_ He offered, sounding pleased that she agreed. _"Either way, I gotta go. Stuff to break and things to destroy."_

"Have fun." Riley said with a smile, turning off the comm channel. She was thrown back into the quiet of her apartment, the only sound being Pants' loud purring from the couch, and the low volume on the tv, which was showing some documentary about sharks.

The journalist had to think on everything. A festival? She'd never been to one before. Burning Man was famous for its specific aesthetic, she wondered how similar Swelter Skelter was. The last thing she wanted to do was show up in something too outlandish for the event.

Riley honestly didn't have any ideas as to where to start for an outfit. Maybe Wrench was right. Perhaps Sitara could help. Would she be annoyed by her asking, though? Hesitantly, Riley patched into the frequency she knew was for Sitara, and waited for a response.

 _"_ _You rang?"_ She said expectantly after several moments. The brunette was caught off guard and stuttered a moment.

"H-hey, Sitara. It's Riley."

She laughed with mirth. _"I know. I had a feeling you'd be calling."_

"Really?" Maybe Wrench had said something to her.

_"_ _Oh yeah. You need help with something to wear to Swelter Skelter, right?"_

Ok, he must have said something to the hacker, because otherwise how would she have known all of this. Shrugging, Riley finished up the last of the pants in her laundry basket

"Well, yeah. I've never gone before, and I don't want to show up being the laughing stock of the party."

" _I don't think that'll be a problem."_ Sitara chuckled, amused by her worry. _"It's sort of an anything goes environment."_

"Well, that's a bit relieving."

_"_ _If you're free after work tomorrow, meet me at Elsewhere Vintage and we can do a bit of shopping."_

Riley knew the thrift store, and nodded. "Ok, sounds good."

 _"_ _Awesome. I'll see you there."_ The hacker said in a sing-song tone, before disconnecting the line.

* * *

 

"What exactly are we looking for?" Riley inquired, following Sitara through the rows and rows of clothing in the thrift store. The racks weren't organized at all by size or color, but just thrown together based on what sort of item of clothing it was. Right now, they were looking through the skirts for anything that jumped out to her.

"I don't know, that's all up to you, girl." Sitara said, eyes skimming the racks for something she might like too. "What are you trying to go for?"

"Uh…" Riley didn't know what to say. She was still almost entirely in the dark about this festival. All she knew was that you could wear whatever you wanted, but that honestly wasn't much help. There were too many options.

Sitara rolled her eyes and shook her head, putting down the skirt she'd been examining and turned to face the brunette. "Alright, looks like we need to make some decisions. If you could pick a theme for this outfit, what would you want it to be?"

"A theme?"

Sitara gestured with her hands. "Yeah, like…superhero, goddess, native, weird…what speaks to you?"

Riley hadn't thought of it like that. So, maybe this was like…cosplay, in a sense. But not in a costume-y kind of way. Hmm. That made things a bit easier. But if she could only choose one…

"Well," she started, hoping her idea wouldn't sound stupid, "I've always loved Greek and Roman mythology…" She looked over and saw the hacker nodding slowly, eyes faraway as if imagining it all put together.

"Ok…goddess it is. I can work with that." She grabbed Riley's hand and dragged her over the dress rack, searching with a newfound determination now that she had an idea to start with. The brunette joined her, a bit more excited for how it would all turn out.

"One last question." Sitara said, a mischievous smile in place. She pulled two different dresses from the rack, a floor length one that reached to the floor, and one that could barely qualify as a dress because of the lack of length and material. "How much skin are you willing to show?"

* * *

 

The rest of her work week went by pretty quickly, probably because Riley was so excited to go to this festival. Sitara had helped her put together her outfit, and she was really proud of how it turned out. Not too costume-y, but just enough inspiration to know what it was supposed to be.

Friday night rolled around and Riley got into her outfit. She examined the gold gladiator shoes that wrapped up her calf and thigh. The short, plain white dress was longer in the back, giving her some comfort that no one would be able to see her underwear, but was still risqué enough to attract interest. it was adorned with dozens of cheap, dangling jewels and tassels. The plastic laurel they'd made on the 3D printer at the hackerspace, painted gold, sat in her hair, which was straightened and flowed down her back.

All in all, she liked what she saw in the mirror. This Riley was adventure-seeking and a bit more…open with who she was. Maybe this whole festival would help her break her shell a little, especially around the DedSec team.

Speak of the devils, her phone vibrated, Marcus letting her know they had arrived to her apartment. Instead of all driving separately, they'd decided to go together. Marcus said it was to help them all bond. She had a feeling it was so no one could leave early. Grabbing her phone and house keys, she was out the door in no time.

"Hey!" Marcus called from the driver's seat, raising a hand when she descended the stairs. "Looking good, Riley!"

"Thanks." She said, smiling proudly. Sitara sat in the passenger seat, nodding in appreciation of her own handiwork. The side door of the van rolled open, revealing Josh. He shimmied over so she could take the seat there, and she shut the door behind her.

"Hey. Nice outfit." She said to Josh, who was rocking a pretty rad mullet and bandana. He smiled a little in response.

Wrench popped his head out from the very backseat, his hood now sporting a spiky mohawk down the middle. "Whatever you do, don't call him MacGyver." He whispered, an amused expression on his mask. Josh turned around to glare at him, obviously not fond of the nickname Wrench had decided to give him.

"Alright, gang, settle down back there. It's a bit of a drive and I don't want to have to turn around." Marcus joked, throwing the van into drive and sending them off towards the exit to her apartment complex.

"Whatever you say, Dad." Riley couldn't help but reply. Marcus raised a brow and glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

"Don't talk back to me in that tone of voice, _young lady._ "

Wrench laughed and leaned forward again. "Are we there yet?" He asked in an annoying voice. Riley joined in, smirking devilishly.

"Anyone want to play I-Spy?"

Josh closed his eyes and sighed, obviously not amused. "Please drive faster."

* * *

 

The sun had still be hovering over the horizon when they left San Fransisco, but by the time they made it to the desert, it was blatantly night time with stars shining bright in the sky. Away from all the light pollution, it was quite a sight to see. Riley found herself just watching them as they kept driving.

Marcus took an exit off of the main highway, and Riley could see a large encampment with torches and tents off in the distance. They travelled along a dirt road for several minutes to get there, finally parking in a large marked-off lot where over a hundred other cars were. This thing was a lot more popular than Riley expected.

They slowed to a stop in one of the spots. Riley stood to the side and waited for the others to pile out of the van. After Josh, Wrench squeezed out from the back seat, standing straight once he cleared the door. Her eyes widened, seeing his full outfit for the first time. He was wearing a sort of football-style armor, with wide shoulder plates. The spiked man-thong was not at all what she'd expected. She looked away rapidly, her cheeks probably flaming red by now.

Thankfully, nobody really noticed, too enthralled by their surroundings to pay her any attention. The entrance to the festival grounds was a large, wooden gate-like structure. Torches were places on the insides to mark the path, and the gang all walked towards it. Beyond that, hundreds of tents and RVs dotted the grounds.

"Here we go!" Wrench said, looking around in anticipation. He turned to Riley and grabbed her hand. "I'll show you the best parts. Come on!"

"O-oh, ok?" She allowed herself to be dragged ahead of the others by the hand. She glanced back, seeing a knowing smirk on Marcus' face, while Sitara and Josh were looking elsewhere and paid her no attention.

People danced and milled about the place. Riley began to feel a bit better about her outfit. Some people were dressed in furs and spandex, jeweled beads and sparkles all over their bodies. One woman wasn't even wearing anything from the waist up, a few mardi gras beads hanging around her neck but otherwise nothing else.

"Check this out!" He said, pointing ahead of them towards a giant, lit-up statue in the center of the grounds.

"What _is_ that?" Riley asked, squinting a bit to try seeing it clearer. It appeared to be the head of a big dragon, but it seemed so out of place. Although, now that she thought about it, 'out of place' seemed to be a running theme for this whole festival.

"It's the hacking challenge." He explained, turning a happy expression towards her. "Each year it's something different. Like, last year? A giant unicorn. Coolest thing ever."

"Sounds like it." She smiled, walking beside him. She still had a hard time not looking down at his spiked, uh…well, she just had a hard time keeping her eyes in an appropriate place. Plus, the tattoos that looked self-administered were distracting too. The scratchy 'WRENCH' tattoo right in the middle of his chest kept catching her eye. She just hoped that he didn't notice. It already felt like a permanent blush marked her cheeks. No need to make it worse.

Trying not to make it obvious she was only half paying attention, she gestured to the statue again. "Are we participating this year?"

He gave a shrug. "Eh. Maybe. I'm sure Marcus will try to rally us into joining. That's just what he does."

"He just wants the group to stay together. You can't blame him." She added, knowing he probably intended for this festival to get the gang back into the spirit of things.

"Oh, I know. I don't blame him for it. I just can't match his unending positivity sometimes." Wrench admitted, sending her a quick wink out of the corner of his eye. Riley laughed.

"You're just a big ball of pessimism? Is that it?"

"You know it." Came his sing song reply.

After she'd gotten a good look at the statue, Wrench lead her through the rows of tents that surrounded it, exploring Swelter Skelter to get her familiar with the place. Some tents had their own personal radios set up, where people danced or talked casually to each other around. It was a very comfortable and carefree environment, one that Riley could appreciate.

"Isn't this place great?" Wrench asked with question marks in his eyes, waving a hand around them to indicate all the tents.

"Oh yeah." She assured, giving him a wide smile. "Thanks for showing me around, by the way. I'm sure you'd rather do your own thing."

His mask became two exclamation points. "I'm still having fun. Besides, we've got all night to enjoy this place. You're fine."

Riley felt a warm sensation in her chest, knowing that Wrench didn't mind tagging along with her to show her the place. And that he was having fun spending time with her. It boosted her confidence and, just a little, gave her hope.

"Take that disgusting PDA shit somewhere else, you losers." Someone said, gaining both of their attentions. Riley didn't recognize the person, but Wrench apparently did because he sighed and crossed his arms.

"Lenni." He said with obvious distaste, the exclamation points rapidly flashing into annoyed slashes. This 'Lenni' must have been someone in the hacker community, otherwise why would Wrench care about them? She was dressed in a corset and skirt which brushed the sand. She took a drag of her vape, blowing it rudely towards their faces.

"What's up…uh…DedSec's mascot, right?" She grinned, shrugging like she didn't give a damn who he was. Riley frowned, completely caught off guard by her rude demeanor and hurtful words. Lenni must have seen her staring, and gestured to the brunette. "And what are you supposed to be, 'Walk-of-Shame' Barbie?"

Wrench stepped forward with angry slashes. Riley, who normally wasn't too quick to come up with quick replies to things like that, actually had one in mind, and she gave a chuckle. "I have your wardrobe to thank for inspiration. Just a little less slutty is all."

 _"_ _Nice!"_ Wrench whispered, throwing her a fist bump.

Lenni raised a brow, unimpressed. "Yeah, yeah, cheerleader. You laugh it up. When the time comes, you won't have a reason to laugh about it."

"Is that a fucking threat?" He hissed, getting a little closer into her personal space. She stepped back and held up her hands.

"Woah, woah! Swelter Skelter's neutral ground, bitch. You can't do a damn thing here. DedSec wouldn't want to lose face by being kicked out of the festival for fighting outside the arena, now would they?"

Wrench grumbled and retreated back beside Riley. Sitara would have a field day if something like that happened. DedSec was already in hot water with this whole Dušan thing. Wrench didn't want to make it worse that it already was.

"You sure do like to talk shit when there's no risk of retaliation, don't you?" He said, a strange tone in his voice. She wondered what he had in mind. "Just remember that DedSec has gone after you before and won. We'll do it again."

" _Ooh, I'm so scared_. _DedSec's gonna get me._ " Lenni mimicked in a childish voice with waving fingers, then deadpanned. "Shaking in my fucking boots."

The conversation had devolved into a glaring fest, and Riley tugged on Wrench's arm. "Come on. You haven't shown me the rest of the festival yet." She said, hoping it would gear him into leaving.

He stared at her a few seconds longer, but she merely grinned back, knowing Wrench was just itching to throw a punch. "Yeah, I haven't. Let's go." He told her, turning and walking towards the arena.

They both heard Lenni yell after them from behind. "That's right! Turn tail and run, DedSec bitches! Not so tough when you're not behind your computer screens, are you?"

Wrench clenched his fist at his side, but Riley laid a calming hand over it. "Just let it go. She's obviously trying to rile you up."

"Yeah, well, it's working…" He muttered darkly with angry slashes on his mask.

"Who was that anyway?"

"Lenni. Leader of Prime_Eight."

She'd heard of the group before, but hadn't really run into them as of yet. But if Lenni herself was any first impression, she didn't want to have anything to do with them. Wrench was obviously still pissed, however his hand did relax in hers after walking a ways, and she finally let go. She could have sworn he reached for it after hers pulled away, but then it swung naturally at his side. Damn. Maybe her brain was imagining things.

They spent some time walking around the place, with Wrench pointing out the best tents for food, and which ones to avoid. More than one they heard the erotic moans of sexual activity in nearby tents as they passed and they both tried ignoring it as best they could. The thought felt awkward in each other's company.

Eventually, they wrapped around to the opposite edge of the festival grounds, and Riley began hearing manly yells and the cheers of a crowd. "What is going on over here?" She ventured to ask. Looking over at Wrench, she noticed the happy expression had returned, and he perked up excitedly.

"The best part of Swelter Skelter!" With that, he grabbed her hand and dragged her closer to where all the commotion was. A large, geodesic metal dome with panelling over most of it stood in front of them. A crowd had gathered around the portions that were open.

Sounds of pain and triumph came from inside the dome, and the crowd cheered again. Wrench guided them to the other side, where less people were gathered, and brought them up to the edge of the dome.

Inside, two men dressed in makeshift 'armor' slowly circled each other, swords brandished at each other. Both were bruised and intent on catching the other off guard.

"This is the best part of Swelter Skelter?" She asked incredulously. As she spoke, one of the men lunged forward and tried swinging at the other, but his opponent sidestepped out of the way and kicked the other guy in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground. Riley winced. That looked painful.

"Yeah!" Wrench shouted, clapping his hands together and cheering the violence on. Then, he turned her way. "Hell yeah. It's called The War Room!" He shouted over the cheers of the crowd.

"Do you ever participate?" She asked over the noise, seeing he was dressed rather similarly to those in the arena.

"Sometimes!" He gave a wink, before turning back to the fight. One guy was able to pin the other to the ground, and was landing punch after punch into his face.

Normally she wasn't one for wrestling shows or anything like that, thinking it wasn't all that entertaining, and mostly just for show. Hell, half of these programs were probably scripted. But seeing a real fight like this so up close, with the crowd around her jumping and screaming and bloodthirsty…it was surreal. She found herself yelling in encouragement for them to whack each other after too long, feeling a strange surge of satisfaction when one guy attacked the other.

Finally, one guy had enough, and stayed down after being smacked squarely in the face by one of the swords. He lay still, and the crowd cheered the victor. He held up his hands, yelling his battle cry into the air. The referees helped drag the unconscious fighter out of the ring, and someone else took his place. A scrawny guy who looked half the size of the victor.

"He is so going down." Riley said, shaking her head certainly.

" _Yuup._ He's got no chance." Wrench predicted.

The battle commenced, and the little guy tried skirting around to a side that might favor him more. However, the dome had nothing in it besides them, and the victor waited patiently for him to make his first move. He was cocky, which could be a weakness, but the smaller opponent clearly didn't have all that much strength. Why had he entered to begin with?

The smaller one lunged outwards with the sword, trying to catch the bigger guy off guard. He seemed to somewhat, staggering him backwards a few steps, and he laid on the attack.

"Come on, motherfucker!" Wrench screamed, pounding on the metal bars eagerly. Riley joined in, eyes glued to the action.

The bigger guy seemed to recover from his initial shock, and began advancing with his own attack. The little guy had one advantage. He was smaller and much quicker, able to escape his grasp easily. The bigger guy had a hard time landing any sort of substantial hit. And then, the smaller guy tripped, giving the bigger opponent a perfect opening to backhand the sword straight across his face, sending him reeling.

"Woo! Mama said knock you out!" Wrench cheered.

"Give 'em hell!" Riley called, pumping her fist in the air.

Marcus walked up beside them, silently watching the match. "This isn't a fair fight." He stated, eyebrow raised in observation.

"Oh, it's _so_ not fair. Little guy's gonna get the shit kicked out of him. But that's what makes it fun, right? We like to watch the little guy take his lumps." He gestured to the arena as example, where the little guy was struggling to kick his way out of a chokehold the bigger guy had put him in. The crowd was going wild.

"Yeah…I mean, so he can get back up on his feet again and overcome…right?" Marcus smiled hopefully, spreading his hands in a silent plea for agreement. Riley tilted her head, squinting a bit. This sounded awfully familiar.

Wrench crossed his arms and cocked a hip, his mask switching to an accusatory expression. "You're trying to turn this into a metaphor for DedSec, aren't you?"

Marcus chuckled and shrugged, knowing he'd been caught. "You got me there."

Wrench sighed and shook his head. "I mean, if you want to keep DedSec going, I'm right there with you. But…" he turned and pointed at the smaller man inside the ring, who was struggling to stand his own against an onslaught of attacks from the bigger man's sword, "if you're putting your metaphor money on that weirdo? No. He's going down and staying down."

Riley saw Marcus look into the ring, then nod his head, conceding the point. "Yeah, it's a long shot." He paused and pointed at him. "Hey, are you joining us for the competition?"

"Yup, I'm down."

Riley saw him gesture to her, cocking his head in the same question. She shrugged. "Of course. What would Swelter Skelter be without the hacking challenge, right? Sounds like an important tradition, anyway." She answered, sending a slanting glance Wrench's way. He perked up in a happy expression.

"Sounds good." Marcus said, clapping his hands together, walking backwards away from them. Then he gestured between them both. "I'll meet you in the center before it starts."

He faded into the crowd, and Wrench turned towards Riley, his happy expression returning. "So, how's it feel to officially be part of DedSec now? We don't ask just anyone to compete with us, you know."

Riley felt a surge of warmth, and smiled. She could feel her cheeks going red. "It's…really nice. I'm glad that I'm part of a group like you guys." The brunette looked up towards Wrench earnestly, holding his gaze.

He gave a nervous laugh, finally looking back towards the arena. "Me too."

* * *

 

Wrench and Riley watched a few more rounds of the arena fights, before heading off towards the dragon sculpture for the group picture when the announcer initiated the final call for competitors. They found the others already standing the by dragon, and ran up to join.

"Alright people, gather up. We need a group shot." Marcus said, holding up his phone on a selfie stick. DedSec all bunched up together. Riley found herself wedged between Josh and Wrench. The masked hacker had an arm draped over her shoulders, the other flashing a peace sign.

Marcus posed, holding the stick out to get them all in the picture. "Try to look pretty for the camera, huh?"

"Always." Wrench promised, causing her to laugh. Riley sported a wide smile, and held it until the phone clicked. They all separated, relaxing after striking their poses.

Marcus put away the selfie stick and rubbing his hands together. "Ok, looks like the challenge is starting. Josh." He said, pointing to him. "Get on those numbers and feed it answers. Wrench, you've got the Jabberwock. Get it wired up and ready. Riley, I need you to run interference on our rivals. Slow 'em down."

They each nodded, content with the taste they were given. He held out his fist, and they all bumped their own against his. "Sitara and I are gonna hack this thing. Let's get it, DedSec!"

They all cheered, moving off to get into position.

* * *

 

The challenge honestly wasn't that hard. Riley spent the whole time sending junk code into their rival's lines, causing their systems to reset multiple times. She laughed to herself, hearing them off in the distance cursing and groaning. Obviously they weren't too happy with their lack of progress.

In the meantime, Marcus was using the drone to try getting to nodes from above, giving them an advantage. Wrench worked on the Jabberwock itself, unlocking it's inside mechanics so they would properly function once it was hacked. Sitara helped slow down the reset codes, giving Marcus more time to work. And Josh was running dialogues of code, allowing them access into the system. It was all a well-working system. The team was amazing together.

As soon as Marcus got all the nodes aligned and hacked, the dragon came alive. Steam shot out of the scales along its back, and flame flared out of its mouth for a dozen feet. Riley jumped, not expecting quite a spectacular reaction. The announcer came on again over the sound of cheering.

"The Jabberwock challenge has been solved! Congratulations, winners!"

DedSec formed up again at the mouth of the dragon, watching as it lit up and roared. Wrench was backing up a few paces, his hands wide. "Uh, guys? Back up, guys. It's gonna catch on fire. Back up!"

This others did as told, but Josh looked confused. "Wait, how do you know?"

He pointed at the mouth. "Because it _has_ to catch on fire. It can't _not_ catch on fire!"

Riley smiled, enjoying his reasoning. Within moments, the mouth was shooting out more flames, directly over their heads. The heat was almost painful, and they shielded their faces from it.

"Told you!' He shouted.

Marcus slapped Wrench's shoulder several times, smiling wide. "That is dope as fuck!"

"The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame!" Sitara called, waving her hand in a dramatic flourish.

"WHO ARE YOU?" The dragon roared, and DedSec all responded.

"I'm Josh!" "Sitara! Hi!" "Wrench!" "I'm Riley!"

"That's good, I'm Marcus! Who are you?" He called.

"I'm Ray." Said a male voice behind them. Surprised, they all turned, seeing a man dressed in what appeared to be a ringmaster outfit. His face was painted with black bleeding eyes, and he wore a top hat with goggles on his head, covering a head of brown dreadlocks.

He stepped between them, forward towards the dragon. "I should have put more juice in it's-"

The flames shot out again, making his jump back out of surprise. He waved it off and turned back towards them, holding up a little bag. "Hey, you kids wanna feed your heads?"

The group was silent, watching him begin to walk away. "Two ounces of sacrosanct mindfuck!" He added, waving it a little behind him.

Riley met the gazes of the others, and they shrugged, finally heading in his direction.

* * *

 

The others eagerly took from the bag of shrooms that Ray offered them, but Riley paused, staring at the bag in uncertainty. Wrench sat beside her, gently tapping her shoulder.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. Nobody's gonna make you take some." He offered quietly, knowing that her history with her mom could still be a sore spot. She stared into his mask, knowing that it was true. No one was making her do anything. Riley didn't feel any pressure whatsoever.

And yet the strangest part was she kind of wanted to try them. She'd hated the effects hard drugs had had on her mom, but Riley was tired. Honestly, just so tired of all the working she'd been doing, all the effort and focus put into taking these companies down…she could use a break.

Wasn't it healthy to make questionable decisions sometimes? A single person couldn't be sensible their whole lives. Why not do something stupid just for the sake of doing so? She might regret it in the morning. She might regret it for her whole life. But that was life. Why not? Riley finally shrugged, smiling a tiny smile as she took from the bag Ray offered. Wrench watched silently, finally taking from the bag himself.

Riley timidly ate the shrooms, unsure of what to expect. Wrench reached up to lift his mask, and she respectfully looked away. The others all sat there waiting for it to take effect. Sitara and Marcus discussed the challenge with Ray, and Josh sat there with his eyes closed, maybe waiting for the shrooms to kick in.

It took about a half hour, but Riley finally began noticing the effects. Lights were a little brighter, and colors were more vivid and 3-dimensional. As if popping out in her face. "Woah…" She muttered, slowly turning her head and inspecting her surroundings.

Beside her, Wrench sat and slowly waved his hands in front of his face, as if trying to push whatever he was seeing out of the way. She giggled, scooting over closer to him. "What do you see?" She asked.

"Stars." He said quietly, still trying his best to push them out of the way somehow. " _Sooo_ many stars…"

"Wow…I see…" She squinted, watching before her eyes as Wrench morphed and changed into something else. A horse, with a black flowing mane, and white, glowing eyes. But just the head of a horse, nothing else. In fact, the horse was studded with the same spikes Wrench wore, lining its body. Incredible.

Riley reached forward to brush her hand through its mane, gently feeling the hair. It was so soft and…

"People, I am going offline now. See you on the other side…" He muttered to the others, laying down on his back with his legs slightly bent in the air. He reached up towards the sky in a strange position. The horse head slowly went away, and he was back to being Wrench again. She realized she was slowly petting his hood.

"I see Riley is feeling it, alright." He said in amusement, but she was only half paying attention.

"Did I forget to mention that these boomers had a little acid bath?" Ray said with a grin, watching the young hackers all have their little trips. Riley frowned, trying to understand. Acid? Was that going to ruin her brain? She needed that.

Her attention was dragged back to her surroundings, which were now multiplying and shifting in many different colors. As her vision moved, so did everything else with it, in an endlessly kaleidoscoping effect. It was dizzying and amazing. She lacked the energy to care that it was starting to hurt her head, instead totally focused on the many colors and their vibrancy.

"I found Waldo." Wrench muttered beside her, pawing up at the sky. Was he trying to reach Waldo? Riley couldn't see him. Where was he?

"Where?" She asked, laying down beside him and searching as well. All she saw was the infinite stars, and the way they twinkled and danced above her. Oh, how they shone and twinkled. Just like the song. Hey, maybe that was what it meant.

"There!" He pointed somewhere random in the sky, and Riley followed his finger. One of the stars looked to be a different color than the rest. Slightly more red. He must be there! It was red!

"You found him!" She slurred, giggling at the sound of her own voice. After several minutes, Riley registered the fact that Marcus and Ray stood up and walked off somewhere, leaving only her and Wrench sitting around the fire pit. Her head lolled to the side, and she looked at Wrench again. Only it wasn't Wrench.

It was her mom. That black hair was unmistakable. Riley's smile faded. What was she doing here? Why was she here? Wasn't she in Brooklyn? Was this Brooklyn? It wasn't San Fransisco. Where was she?

Riley's mom slowly looked over at her and frowned. " _You always disappointed me, kid._ " She said in a harsh whisper, which echoed around in Riley's brain. She placed her hands on her ears, not wanting to hear it. The sound still wormed its way into her hears, and she shut her eyes.

She could feel tears brimming behind her eyes, her face growing hot from both embarrassment and fear. How had her mom found her? This wasn't supposed to happen.

Riley felt the sensation of hands on her face, and she reluctantly opened her eyes, thinking it was her mom, but it was Wrench. She took a breath, glad her mother had left. Glad it was only Wrench beside her. He cradled her face with both hands, kneeling over her with his mask close to her face.

"Stars…" He muttered, gazing into her eyes. Riley wasn't sure what he was talking about, but the way he stared at her so intently…it made her shudder in strange anticipation. The lights in his mask were so bright. The only thing she could see. He lowered his forehead until it touched her own, resting there for a long time.

As she stared, his mask flickered between several different icons, as if he were feeling so many things at once he didn't know which one to display. Riley felt her breath stutter when they became hearts, but they flickered back over to asterisks, and then hashtags. Never staying on one for too long. But the hearts still consistently came up. Over and over, flickering through the different ones.

Neither said a word, but Riley couldn't have found something to say even if she wanted to. Her heart was pounding in her chest—was that the shrooms or their closeness?—and she felt on fire. If she looked down at her arm, it would probably be on fire.

After several moments of them breathing heavily—Riley couldn't tell if it was from the extreme heat of the fire, or their raging emotions from the shrooms—Wrench rolled over to the side and landed on his back, reaching up towards the sky again. He groaned, letting his head fall back into the sand below.

Riley was feeling tired. How long had they been awake? The moon was still out, but now on the opposite side of the sky. When had it gotten there? The colors were still shifting and changing and morphing in her vision, but they were beginning to lessen, little by little. Riley could barely keep her eyes open. And before she knew it, everything went black, and then there was nothing.


	15. I Don't Like Sand

Waking up the next morning was a confusing ordeal. Her stomach rumbled something fierce, and her mind felt fatigued, yet light and clear at the same time. Such a contradiction was difficult to explain properly. Riley didn't want to open her eyes, feeling warm and content against the soft thing she was laying on.

Soft. And comfortable. But…didn't she fall asleep on the sand? It should feel coarse and irritating against her face. Whatever she was underneath was smooth and warm, but Riley felt another flash of fatigue, and couldn't must enough energy to care.

Perhaps another half hour or half a day went by, before something pulled her back into consciousness. She still refused to open her eyes, too content to just lay there, but now whatever she was laying on was moving, up and down. It wouldn't let her go back to sleep, so she blearily rubbed and eye and cracked it open.

Wrench's chest continued its slow rise and fall, which Riley's cheek was pushed against. Her eyes widened, and she scrambled to sit up. Wrench stirred from sleep at her rapid movement, but simply shifted his arm and head, quickly going back to his subconscious.

Riley felt an immediate chill in the air, her outfit not helping much against the early morning desert temperatures. The fire they'd been sitting besides had died out and was a pile of gray ash now, offering no help.

Trying to smooth down her skirt, she felt her cheeks flaming. Had she been sprawling over Wrench all night? Did he know? What would he think? God, this was embarrassing. She placed a hand on her head, expecting to have a raging headache from the shrooms, but she felt fine. And, she could still remember the events of the previous night, also something unexpected.

She bit her lip, remembering Wrench kneeling over her and staring into her face. She remembered the heart icons, and wondered as to their meaning. Were they anything substantial, or was it just the shrooms messing with his emotions? Is that how shrooms worked? Riley wasn't altogether sure. Then another thought sprang up. Shit, would he remember anything either? Would it make it awkward between the two of them? That was the absolute last thing she wanted.

Riley debated whether she should let the masked man sleep some more or try to start getting everyone together to go home. They all came in the same vehicle, so it'd be difficult to coordinate. Maybe they hadn't thought this all through.

Before she could make a decision, Wrench stirred again, this time groaning and sitting himself up from the sand. "Ah…fuck me." He muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. His mask displayed two angry or pained slashes, before returning to the default Xs.

"You alright?" She asked, catching his attention.

"Yeah, just…need a sec." He groaned, stretching out his limbs slowly. Then he reached down to get all the sand off of his legs. "Fucking sand…"

Riley couldn't help but smile. "I don't like it either. It's rough and coarse and irritating…and it gets everywhere." He froze, a deadpan expression on his mask, and Riley shrugged, unable to prevent the laugh that burst forth. "Admit it. If you had seen the same opportunity, you would have taken it too."

Wrench thought about it, then shrugged. "Yeah, probably. Anyways," he stood, brushing away as much of the grainy sand as he could from his exposed legs, "why don't we find the others?"

"Ok."

* * *

 

Holy fuck, what had he done? Sober Wrench really wanted to punch High Wrench right now, because Jesus Fucking Christ, what the hell had he been thinking? He tried playing it cool as he walked beside Riley, but internally was panicking.

Did she resent him? Were things going to be awkward from here? Maybe if he didn't bring it up, Wrench could pretend none of last night even happened. The shrooms had the usual effect of heightening his emotions, but he hadn't expected them to heighten… _those_ emotions. He recalled kneeling over her in the sand, their faces close together, and she had that thrilled little smile going. Of course, for him at the time, her eyes had been constellations of stars and the rest of her some mythical being he couldn't put a name to, but that was besides the point.

Riley hadn't pushed him away, but that could mean anything. Maybe to her, he'd been some supermodel hunk wearing nothing but a loincloth, or some fantastical colored illusion that had caught her eyes. Was she even aware it had been Wrench? What had Riley seen? Because he distinctly recalled her eager smile and wide eyes. Damn him, he really wanted to know, but knew it would be a mistake to ask.

He had to settle for thinking over the whole night in his head. If she didn't bring it up, neither would he.

* * *

 

They walked through the morning remains of the festival. Several people were strewn about the path, and along the lines of tents and RVs. In the daytime, everything looked rather plain, no colored and strobing lights to give it it's effect. The tents were quiet and closed, giving the occupants their privacy. Riley thought to check her phone as they went, seeing a text from Marcus.

" _Left with Ray. Long story. I'll see you back at the hackerspace later."_

"Looks like Marcus left without us." Riley mentioned, gesturing with her phone to indicate he'd texted her. They carefully stepped over the sleeping form of one of the festival attendees.

He nodded. "Sounds about right. The guy's a chick magnet. Can't go to a party without at least a chance of him going home with someone."

Riley let out an amused huff. "He went with Ray."

"Oh." Wrench paused, trying to think of something to say. "He seems a bit… _old_ for Marcus, but I mean if that's what he's into then…"

" _Come_ on, I'm sure he didn't mean it that way." Riley shoved him playfully in the arm, and Wrench flashed her a wink.

"You're _so_ easy to tease, though. Honestly. Make it a bit harder and I might not do it as much."

She rolled her eyes. "No, then you'd just see it as a challenge and do it more."

"…" Wrench seemed to think about that for a moment, finally pointing a finger gun at her. "Touché."

They laughed between themselves, coming across the first of their missing friends. Sitara was laying on top of a concrete pillar several feet up. A handful of other people they didn't recognize were sleeping haphazardly around t. Her legs dangled down over the side, and her wings were tossed onto the ground. It must have been uncomfortable to sleep with them on.

"Sitara!" Wrench sang out, reaching over and shaking her shoulder. "Wakey, wakey!"

"Ugh…" She groaned, swatting Wrench's hand away while her eyes were still closed. "Is it morning already?"

"You know it, so let's get the hell out of here already." He replied, stooping to pick up her wings from the ground. She eased up, gladly accepting her accessory back while she rubbed her eyes.

"Anyone seen Josh?" She asked, glancing around for any sign of the hacker. He wasn't a part of the various people sleeping around her, so Riley ventured out and tried searching for him.

She didn't want to yell out him name, knowing she'd probably wake up a few people along the way, and he might not even be conscious anyway to respond. It would be a waste of breath.

After several minutes, Riley hadn't seen any sign of the hacker, before Sitara shouted out into the air. She turned and headed her way, finally coming upon Wrench and Sitara shaking Josh awake. He was laying facedown next to a large sculpture of something, perhaps what he was staring at all night long.

"Come on, Josh. Time to get up."

He blinked a few times, finally squinting into the bright morning light. Without a word, he slowly stood and brushed himself off. They were all still somewhat tired, but at least they were in one piece and together again.

As one, they walked towards the entrance of the festival, passing through the large wooden gates again, and found the van right where they'd parked it. The doors were still unlocked, and they started piling in. Suddenly, Sitara stopped, sighing heavily.

"Marcus had the keys." She voiced her realization, but Wrench didn't skip a beat.

"I'll just hotwire it. We'll be fine." He wandered around to the driver's side, Sitara stepped aside for him, and he knelt down to inspect below the driving console. Riley watched from her seat in the second row as he pulled out a panel and began separating wires from within.

Perhaps she should have been concerned with how quickly he was able to actually get it to work, but the van's engine sputtered to life after only a few minutes. Wrench gave a dramatic bow, and they piled into the van.

Riley took up her seat in the middle again, but this time Josh took the passenger seat up front with Wrench. Sitara scooted in next to Riley and leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes with content.

"What I wouldn't give for a cheeseburger right now…" She muttered, and Riley was reminded of just how hungry she also was. Then, the memory of driving for at least an hour came back to her mind, and she groaned.

It was going to be a long drive home.

* * *

 

Wrench drove them all the way back to the hackerspace, and Josh and Sitara clambered out of the van. Wrench twisted in his seat and regarded Riley. "I'm guessing you don't have a change of clothes here. You want me to take you home?"

Riley smiled gratefully, glad she wouldn't have to take a bus back in her outfit as it was. "If you would, I'd be super appreciative."

"You got it."He said enthusiastically, offering her another wink. Her smile widened. That wink was adorable. Wrench let Sitara and Josh walk away from the van before he pulled back into traffic, off towards the direction of her house.

"What did you think of Swelter Skelter?" He asked suddenly, watching her in the rearview mirror. She was in the process of getting her hair back in order, but failing miserably without a comb.

"It was awesome! Wasn't quite expecting the whole shrooms thing but…not as bad as I expected."

"Yeah, well," Wrench shrugged, focusing back on traffic, "I hope you didn't feel like you had to."

"I didn't." She assured, shaking her head rapidly. "I decided for myself, without anyone else's influence. Don't feel bad if that's what this is."

"If you say so." He said, taking them through a left turn.

Riley raised a brow, unable to help the fact that her mouth twitched upwards in doing so. "I _do_ say so."

The drive to her house was short. There wasn't too many people up this early on a Saturday, leaving the streets a lot emptier than usual. In no time, Wrench was pulling the van into one of the parking spots in front of her apartment building.

Throwing it into park, Wrench turned to regard her again. "Alright, you got everything?"

"Uh, yeah." Riley checked around the van just in case, spotting a pile of clothes that looked very similar to Wrench's at the back. She pointed to them. "Are those yours?"

"Huh?" He propped himself higher, trying to see what she was referring to. "Oh, yeah. I'll change once I get back to my garage." He reached behind him and tried wiggling his fingers under the shoulder pads. "I swear there's still sand in here somewhere, and don't even get me started on this jockstrap…"

Riley was somehow able to not blush at that last comment, reminded of what he was wearing. "If you want, you could change at my place. I mean, if you don't want to wear that all the way to your garage…" She offered, shrugging to indicate it wasn't a big deal.

Wrench's mask displayed exclamation points, but he nodded anyway. "Sure, if you're cool with that."

Riley was the first out of the van, grabbing his clothes since they were right there. Wrench left the van running, knowing he'd have to hotwire it again otherwise. Besides, her apartment was in a pretty good neighborhood. There was little risk of it being stolen.

Riley gave him his clothes and lead them to the third floor. They arrived at her door, and she fumbled with the keys, before finally getting the damn things in the lock. She opened the door, fully anticipating the loud greeting she received from Pants.

He meowed rudely, and she knew he was pissed that he hadn't been fed on time twice in a row now. This was not how a cat was supposed to be treated, according to him. Riley stepped past him and glanced at Wrench, who was glaring daggers at the feline. She frowned.

"Are you allergic to cats? I probably should have mentioned that…"

"No." He said shortly, crossing his arms and keeping away from Pants. "Animals just aren't my thing."

"Oh." She said, not expecting that revelation. Well, better to just keep him out of the way for the time being. In the meantime, she pointed towards the bathroom in the hallway. "You can change in there. There's towels on the rack too, if you're feeling a shower or anything."

"Thanks." He said, his happy expression returning and going where instructed. It was a little humorous to see him sidestep Pants like he was the plague. The door closed and locked behind him.

Riley walked over and picked Pants up, ignoring his outraged meows of protest when she headed towards the laundry room instead of the kitchen. "Oh, calm down, I'll feed you soon." She muttered, placing him on the ground and quickly closing the door behind her so he couldn't get out.

Her next destination was her bedroom, and she quickly changed into lounge pants and a t-shirt. It felt so nice to get out of her dress and wrap shoes. They'd quickly began to hurt because of their lack of support, and the dress was much too airy for her liking for long periods of time.

Riley walked back to the kitchen, and she heard the shower going within the bathroom. She smiled, glad he felt comfortable enough to do so. Her stomach grumbled and she debated what to make for breakfast. The clock displayed that it was about noon, so more like lunch than breakfast.

The sound of a grilled cheese sandwich was heavenly right at that moment, so she set to work on making one. Riley stopped, wondering if Wrench would want one, or if he'd want to keep his face hidden still. Hmm. She'd ask once he got out. Grabbing all the ingredients, she set to work.

Her grilled cheese was still cooking when the sound of the shower cut off, and Riley was in the process of transferring it over to a plate by the time the bathroom door opened. Wrench stepped out dressed in his usual hoodie and spiked vest, a pair or ripped and stained jeans covering his legs. She was much more used to this image of him, rather than the spiked thong he'd sported the day before.

"Don't be surprised if your tub is full of sand." He joked, placing his Swelter Skelter outfit on her table and walking into the kitchen to greet her. She smiled.

"Eh, if it doesn't now it definitely will after I take a shower." She set her grilled cheese aside and held up the pan. "I was gonna ask. Were you hungry? I can make you something if you'd like."

Wrench waved a dismissive hand, but in as polite a way as he could. "A kind thought, but I'm good." He said, eyes drifting to the living room. Her shelf of movies was on full display, and he went over to inspect them.

Riley knew for sure it was because of the mask, but she wouldn't say anything. That was his choice. She shrugged and gave a reassuring smile, taking a bite out of her lunch while wandering closer. "Don't judge my movie tastes."

" _Judge?_ Are you kidding? These are great." He said, fingering through a few. "I mean…The Warriors, Mad Max, Night of The Living Dead, Buckaroo Banzai…" He grabbed one out of the stab, showing her the case, the heart icons appearing once again. _"Predator."_

Riley laughed, shaking her head. "Of course you'd grab that one." Then she shrugged, a smug expression settling on her features. "I like to think I'm a bit of a classic movie collector. Classic, as in, top-notch quality."

"Hell yeah." He agreed, putting it back and straightening again. He looked around her living room. "You said you've lived here a year?"

"Yup."

He gestured to the walls. "No posters? No pictures? Do you just not like decorating?"

Riley herself examined the walls, seeming to realize for the first time that she hadn't really done anything to make the room look better. It was mostly functional. The only place in her apartment that contained something personal was her room. And most of those things were stuffed away in her closet.

"Well…I've been working, mostly. Haven't had time to do anything with the place." Then she shrugged, looking away. "And what's the point now? I'll be leaving in a month or so…"

"…" Wrench said nothing, eyes glancing around the room for something to talk about. "I mean, you don't have to leave. You could find a place to work for in San Fransisco." He finally offered, turning towards her with question marks in his eyes.

She shrugged, uncertain. "Maybe…"

Wrench's mask went back to the default Xs, and he nodded slowly. "Well, just think about it. I should go, though. Lots of things to do-"

"Lots of things to destroy?" She guessed, and he gathered up his stuff, shooting her another wink.

"You know me so well."

The brunette walked him to the door, opening it for him. "I'll see you around?"

"See ya, Riley." He bid, walking off down the set of stairs. After a moment, the brunette shut the door again, leaning against it for several seconds. Riley sighed, unable to shake the feeling that she had ruined the conversation somehow. There was an underlying disappointment in the way he'd said goodbye. Damn.

There was no helping it now, she Riley went off to take a shower of her own, thinking maybe washing herself would help her mood a little. She felt grimy and sweaty.


	16. I'll Be Your Eyes

A few days had passed since the Swelter Skelter festival. The gang had been introduced to Raymond Kenny, the newest addition to the team. It was a bit bittersweet, actually. Riley was no longer the newest member, but she was still the most inexperienced when it came to straight hacking. Sure, she'd been picked for her assignment because of her skills, but they were largely self taught and only went so far. And now they bring on board someone who was the near prophet of hacking into computers? Well, it left her with a strong feeling of inadequacy.

She hadn't spoken to Wrench much after the festival. They still checked in with each other over comms every so often, but she couldn't help but feel she was making things awkward. It wasn't him, honestly, it was all her desire not to disappoint him any further than she had. Hopefully it would all go back to normal soon. She missed their genuine conversations.

Riley was shopping for a few items around the apartment at the closest marketplace, standing in line for the checkout with her cart. It was unusually busy for a Sunday, and there were still two people in front of her waiting for their turn.

The brunette sighed, slouching against the cart. Bored out of her mind, her eyes skimmed the concessions and magazine racks that decorated the check out lanes. None of the tabloids were real news, just inflated egos and opinions printed loud and large on a page to attract people's attention. As a journalist, Riley found them annoying and kind of insulting.

Nonetheless, her boredom prompted her to pick one up. The least annoying-looking one on the shelf, which was a technology publication. She flipped through several pages of articles on smart cars and self-learning machines, the space program and other technological highlights, until she came to a small article towards the very back.

DEDSEC: FRIEND OR FOE?

Riley raised a brow, already starting to read what the author had written.

_DedSec. A common term thrown around San Fransisco nowadays. We all know their name. We know their skills and accomplishments. But why haven't we started questioning their intentions? Who are these people? What do they really want with your data?_

_Some see them as vigilante, social privacy justice for the people of the new age. But are they really that blind to ignore the criminal activity they commit in order to expose 'unjust systems' within large corporations? Nobody mentions the breaking and entering, espionage, and use of the very data they claim to protect in their mission to expose the companies they despise. The hypocrisy is real, people._

The brunette rolled her eyes, closing the little book and putting it back where it belonged. She'd read enough. There wouldn't be anything but more slander to follow anyway. The line moved forward, and she rolled her cart ahead a few feet.

Her boredom returned, and she sat there staring at one spot, until a vibration in her pocket made her reach for her cell phone. She turned on the screen, but there was no notification window of having received a text. Riley frowned, confused. Maybe she'd imagined it. Sometimes that happened. Without much more thought, she put it back in her pocket.

A minute or so went by of just standing there, before the vibration happened again. Perplexed, she pulling out the phone again and still didn't see any notification. She stared at it, wondering what the hell was going on with her phone.

It happened again, and this time, she saw an image of a pixelated cat appeared and skitter across her screen before disappearing again. "What…" She muttered, now staring at her screen a bit more intensely. Unlocking it with her password, she navigated through several apps, to see if any of them were the issue. Nothing came up, until she opened the DedSec app that Sitara had dowloaded for her. As soon as she opened it, a pixelated cat blocked most of her screen.

"Shit…" She muttered, closing out of the app and turning off her phone. She didn't want this thing infecting all of her stuff. She tapped the earpiece in her ear and tapped into the comm channel.

"Uh, guys? Is something going on with the app?" She asked quietly, wary of the other people around her. In an effort not to look too weird, she brought her phone up to her ear to seem like she was just taking a call.

 _"_ _Yeah, we know."_ Sitara said in a frustrated tone. _"Our servers got hacked."_

"By who?" Riley questioned, avoiding the gaze of the person in front of her.

 _"_ _We don't know yet."_ Josh replied, and Riley could once again hear the faint tap of his keyboard. _"Still searching the servers for any trace."_

 _"_ _You should probably get back to the hackerspace if you can. We need all the help we can get figuring this out."_ The female hacker continued. Riley nodded.

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Seeing the person in front of her in line began placing their items on the conveyor belt, Riley moved forward again, her foot bouncing in anticipation and impatience. Hopefully this wouldn't take forever.

* * *

 

The others were glued to their laptop and computer screens, trying to figure out what was going on. It seemed Marcus was still on his way. Riley placed her bag on the floor by the couch and approached the others.

"How long has this been going on for?"

Wrench's mask displayed his irritation, gesturing aggressively with his hand. "The last half hour. But we still don't know who did this."

"Josh is still scrubbing through the server data to try finding any signatures." Sitara held out her hands with palms down, trying to calm everybody down. Wrench's anxiousness and anger wasn't helping too much.

All of a sudden, the screens on the wall glitched out and changed from the default DedSec Logo into a static image of one of those pixelated cats. "What the fuck?" Wrench said, standing and toppling over one of the chairs at the table.

They heard steps by the stairs, and Marcus hurried his way over. The screen changed again, this time to show a very familiar face. "Of course. Fucking, Lenni." Marcus said with a shake of his head. Riley was about to say something, but the many different screens of Lenni began talking.

" _Citizens of the world, may I have your fucking pathetic attention. DedSec,"_ the screen glitched a few times, and she laughed in a creepy and annoying way, " _is a bunch of losers spamming your news feed. They pretend to be the saviors of your free will. When really?"_ Again with that stupid laugh, Riley cringed. " _They're just some script kiddies…who want desperately to be popular."_

Riley grit her teeth and clenched her fists as Lenni laughed again on the screen, cheap and low-poly images edited all around her. If this wasn't the biggest of slaps in the face, she didn't know what was. Was this because of the things Wrench and her had said at the festival? Was this her payback? The rest of the gang were watching with contemplative or angry, in Wrench's case, expressions.

 _"_ _It all stops now."_ The smugness on her face was infuriating, and the brunette was itching to do something about that. _"I am going to teach DedSec a lesson. And DedSec…if you think I won't…or,"_ she laughed again, that teeth-grindingly annoying laugh, _"can't…destroy your system? Well. Then. Please allow me to introduce myself! Ahaha!"_

The sound of her final laugh was set on repeat, and continued on and on. Riley covered her ears from the noise, finding it highly unpleasant. "Make it stop!" She yelled, seeing Wrench wander off on his own.

" _Tell_ me it's just Kiki." Marcus pleaded over the incessant noise, and Sitara sighed.

"It's _just_ Kiki. We're housecleaning the felines, and Josh is brute forcing the crypto key."

"Argh! Shut the fuck up!" Wrench shouted, and the next moment something glass shattered. Blessedly, the sound stopped, leaving an eerie yet peaceful stillness in the air following after. Riley uncapped her ears and sighed in relief.

The masked hacker, annoyance clearly written in his mask, wandered back over with a sledgehammer in his hand. "Alright, so…are we going to war for this?"

"Absolutely! We're not letting these trolls drag us into their sewers. DedSec doesn't back down!" Sitara pointed at them all, emphasizing her point.

"So what!?" Josh yelled, silencing the rest of them. There was a heavy pause. Riley had never heard him so upset before. He looked so…defeated. "What good is going to war with them" It won't break their lock on us. It doesn't change anything…They got in!" Overwhelmed with emotion, he smacked the arm of his chair a few times.

Riley felt hopeless. When he put it like that, what were they supposed to do? But no, they couldn't just give up. This wasn't about to turn out like another Dušan trap. They weren't losing their faith again so soon. Like Sitara said, DedSec didn't back down. "We can't just let this go." She added, glancing between the rest of the group.

"She's right, fuck that!" Marcus rallied, walking to stand in the center of them. "Listen up. We're not gonna let Prime_Eight derail us. Let's be smart about this."

They just had to start from scratch and work their way to a conclusion. Just like coding. Work through the problem. Marcus' natural charisma as a leader seemed to kick the rest of them in gear. Sitara spoke first, offering up an idea.

"Alright." She shrugged. "Prime_Eight sells Zero Day exploits to anyone with money."

Wrench latched onto that line of thinking, holding out a hand as he explained. "Yeah, fucking governments. Blume, Nudle…even goddamned terrorists."

They all contemplated this information, trying to see connections and ways to somehow strike back against Prime_Eight. Josh may think it wouldn't matter, but at some point, pride came into the mix and no amount of hopelessly could undermine that.

"Sons of Ragnarok." Marcus said quietly, staring down at the table.

Wrench turned towards him, but didn't understand what they had to do with anything. "What?"

"…Hell yeah, Sons of Ragnarok." This revelation was energizing, because he knocked on the table then rubbed his hands together. "They hire themselves out to Sons of Ragnarok, right?" Sitara nodded an affirmative, and Marcus continued, pointing at them all in turn. "So we find out as much as we can about their people and their operations."

Riley thought it made sense. By targeting their business partners, they might be able to find an exploit to take Prime_Eight down, or at least interrupt their ops enough to put them in a tough spot with troublesome people. It was small, but it was something. Wrench nodded slowly, thinking along the same lines.

"We're not going to roll over. Not for anybody." The leader proclaimed with a newfound determination in his eyes, finally rounding in place and spreading his hands in a wide shrug. "Yo, Josh man, where you at?"

They all looked over to Josh, seeing him slumped in his chair, but his eyes were bright. Riley could practically see the gears turning in that big brain of his. Then he slowly stood, clenching his fists. "Now it's war." Wrench was seated in his chair, and he gestured him away. "Move."

Sitara had switched into gear, walking towards her laptop on the other table. "I'll put the message out on the back channels. These guys are bound to have enemies who'll give us some intel."

* * *

 

Marcus figured they should speak to Lenni at least, to see if she would somehow slip up and give them intel about how they could get back at her. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.

 _"_ _She didn't give up any info, just laid out what she wanted in return for the key. DedSec releasing a video discrediting ourselves. Which is never gonna happen."_

"Damn right." Wrench said, punctuating it with an aggressive point.

" _Hopefully you found something on your end. And uh, Riley?"_

"Yeah?" She asked, surprised she was being called out.

 _"_ _You must've done something to piss her off in particular, because she had a few choice words for you. I…uh, won't repeat them."_ He relayed, and her eyebrows rose. She shared a glanced with Wrench, who had his amused and/or happy expression displayed on his mask. Obviously he thought this was funny. But, if this was all in retaliation for her comeback at Swelter Skelter? That didn't sit well with Riley, despite how petty it made Lenni out to be.

Still, despite the setback Marcus encountered, there was still good news. Josh had dug up some info. "Ragnarok just hired Prime_Eight to upload malware into ATMs."

 _"_ _Bank machines it is, folks!"_

The rest of the gang, minus Marcus who was out at the club still, gathered around the hacker, formulating their plan. Josh kept piling information they could use, and Wrench picked something out from the bunch.

"They run that through their main club hangout, Rhonda's Diner." Wrench said, perking up suddenly. He had a fun idea, but Sitara began talking before he could voice it.

"I'll send Gooly there to scope the place. Marcus, meet with-" Before she even finished talking, Wrench was bouncing in place and raising his hand.

"Ooh, ooh, me! I wanna go! We're gonna destroy the bank machines, right?" He asked in excitement, two wide circles on his mask. Sitara cocked her head to the side, giving him a grin.

"Yeah, by interfering with the coding. But…you want to blow them up, don't you?"

" _Pleeease?_ It's been forever since I've gotten to do something fun."

She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Alright, alright! I guess it would piss off Prime_Eight even more if the whole mechanism were destroyed…" She spoke into the comm channel. "Marcus, get back to the hackerspace. Wrench has got this one."

 _"_ _Alright, I'm on my way."_

The gang dispersed to their various stations. Wrench wandered over to his workspace, and grabbed a set of keys, then headed for the stairs. Riley felt like she had no part to play in this operation, so she followed after him, meeting him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Can I come?" She asked, pouting a little. Wrench paused mid-step, and Riley mistook that as doubt in allowing her to join him. She clasped her hands together. "I want to help in some way. Even if I can't do a whole lot, there's gotta be something I could do. Just sitting here doing nothing would eat me alive."

His mask flashed exclamation points, before becoming a wink, and he held out a fist. "Let's go blow some shit up."

Riley smiled, bumping her own fist with his, and they made their way upstairs.

* * *

 

Marcus got back to the hackerspace and noticed the absence of not just one, but two DedSec members from the hackerspace. Ray didn't count, seeing as he was away on his own personal mission he wouldn't disclose. The man was more secretive than the companies they exposed. DedSec allowed their members freedom to choose whatever they wanted to pursue, so they didn't ask.

Marcus sauntered up to Sitara, a brow raised. "Where's Riley?"

The female hacker shrugged, smiling a little. "She left." Marcus leaned closer with a knowing expression, his unspoken question clear. Sitara's smile widened, but she played it off as best she could. " _Yes_ , with Wrench."

"Mhmm…Sounds about right." He nodded smugly, pushing away from her and backing away. "You know, you're this much closer to owing me that $100."

"Pff, please." She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "There's no proof. I'll believe it when I see it."

"I'm telling you, Wrench'll do something about it. Just watch. Dude's full of surprises."

"Uh huh. Just be prepared to hand over that $100 when they end up nothing more than friends." Was her only response, and Marcus let it go, turning with a chuckle to lay on the couch. He could use a nap while the others were out on their operation.

* * *

 

Surprisingly, their first stop was to his garage. "Hang tight, I'll just be a second." He said, parking in front of the place and hurrying out of the car. He jogged around to a side door, then disappeared for several minutes. Riley sat there, glancing around at the people walking by. Nearly everyone was on their phones. She wondered how many of these people even knew how easy it was for their information to be stolen and used for unlawful purposes. How many of them were clueless to what was going on?

Riley glanced at her own, playing a stupid click-farming game until there was a bump at the back. She turned to look through the window behind her, seeing the trunk had been opened, but whatever he was doing she couldn't tell. The car moved as he stowed something back there, and finally he slammed it shut, brushing his hands together to clean them.

The driver door opened, and he eased into the seat with a sigh. "There. All set."

"What did you grab?" Riley asked, putting her phone away as he threw the car into drive. Another wink was sent her way.

"You'll see."

* * *

 

They eased up to Ronda's diner. It was now late in the afternoon, the sun slanting into their eyes painfully. Several people milled about the front, and they could already hear the music from inside from the parking lot.

Wrench lead them over to a stack of wooden boards and planks for the construction nearby. Their informant, Gooly, was sitting on the ground there waiting for them. He looked up and lifted his chin in greeting.

He informed them of the scheme Sons of Ragnarok had been running, how the ATM hack would triple their cashflow from their normal cash skimming ops. Gooly gave them the specs of where the ATM machines were located, and left them to it. They returned to the car, and Wrench opened the trunk.

Riley's eyes widened at the duffel bag full of explosives that was just sitting there. She pointed to them. "We drove with those just in our trunk?"

"Oh, _relaaax_. They weren't gonna blow up." He reassured, shrugging. "Probably…" He finished in a mutter, too low for her to hear. Beside the duffel bag was a few weapons, which he strapped to his person.

"Do you expect to go in guns blazing?" She asked, stepping back to allow him room to maneuver.

"Well, if you've got my back, then no. But I always like to prepare for the worst. Never know when a gun might be handy." He patted the improvised and customized weapons with affection, finally reaching in to grab the bag of explosives. "Now, let's get this show on the road."

Taking a deep breath of her own, Riley followed after him with the laptop Wrench had brought with them. They met back up where Gooly had been sitting, deciding it would be their 'base of operations,' or sorts. Wrench knelt by her to see the screen as she pulled up the security camera feed for the diner.

"Alright, the first machine is in the diner itself. I don't know how you're going to get inside looking like that." She admitted gesturing to his normal outfit. Wrench acted taken aback, placing a delicate hand on his chest.

"What's wrong with the way I look?"

"Nothing!" She assured, shaking her head. "It's just going to make it obvious that you're part of DedSec."

She was genuinely concerned she'd offended him, but the moment his eyes displayed two happy icons, she rolled her eyes. Always with the teasing. "Alright, tough guy, how are we going to plant those explosives?"

"Easy. This little guy will do it for us." He said, taking out the RC car from the bag as well. He set it on it's wheels and turned it on. "You'll have to help me get it inside without being noticed, though. Pretty sure people will freak out if they see bombs strapped to this thing." He admitted.

Riley gave him a pointed look, but checked the cameras inside anyway. The diner was busy, unfortunately, but the room the machine was in was thankfully empty. And the door was open. "Ok, I'll have to find you an opening. Get it all set up."

Wrench strapped three or four of the explosives around the car, taping them over so they wouldn't fall if it needed to jump over any obstacles. Riley was worried it would blow up from the jostling around, but if they hadn't done so on the drive over, it should be fine now. Hopefully.

Once done, he gave her a nod and pulled out his phone, sending the RC car over to the entrance of the diner. It parked itself just beside the doorway, waiting on her signal.

Riley watched the movement of people, the walking patterns of the waitresses, and as much detail as she could take in.

Unbeknownst to her, Wrench watched as she became hyper focused on the laptop screens, determined to find him a way inside. He appreciated her dedication and confidence. She remained calm, and didn't panic. He was glad she was here helping him.

Riley noticed that most of the occupants had wandered over to the far side of the diner, and those who stood near the door were looking up at the tv screens, where a football game was playing. "Ok, go, go!" She insisted.

Wrench pushed the RC car to move, skirting around the doorway and into the diner. It made a beeline for the back room with the machine. Riley's timing was perfect. Wrench watched on the RC car's webcam for guidance, easing it closer to the ATM. He jumped it higher up, then let it fall behind it.

"What are you doing?" Riley asked, watching as the car's metal arm started unscrewing the back panel of the machine.

"Wedging this thing inside. It'll reduce the the chances that the whole place goes up in flames." He answered, and Riley was glad he tried minimizing the risk to innocent people. Once it was well-situated in the wiring of the ATM, Wrench turned off the screen and placed his phone back into his pocket. "Alright, one down, two to go. Where is the second?"

Riley switched her camera view to the back area of the diner, showing a fenced off, restricted zone. "Back there. The gate is guarded, so you might have to jump the fence."

"Ok, where at?"

Riley kept searching the perimeter, finding him the best location. "Looks like the best way in is gonna be this south side. There's a small alcove you can get in without being spotted right here," Riley pointed towards the area of the screen, "and you'd be right near the next machine."

Wrench nodded his appreciation and headed off towards the side of the diner. Riley sat in her spot behind the wood, ensuring no one looking this direction would spot her. She flipped through a few cameras, monitoring Wrench's progress while he moved along the wall, rapidly approaching the right section.

"Alright, go in right…there." She said into the comm channel quietly. Immediately, he stopped in place and prepared to scale the stone wall. Riley switched cameras again to inside the compound, watching as people lingered and paced the inside. She frowned in concern, seeing more than she'd anticipated.

"There's a lot of people in there. Be careful." She warned, and he laughed.

 _"_ _Careful is my middle name. Right after Danger."_

The brunette smiled, shaking her head. "You can only have one middle name, Wrench."

 _"_ _Only one? That's so limiting."_ Was his disappointed reply, making her laugh.

Out of the corner of the screen, Wrench could be seen vaulting the wall and dropping out of sight below. Riley tapped more keys, flipping camera perspectives until she found one with him in sight. The bag of explosives was still slung over one of his shoulders, and he was peering around a corner.

 _"_ _Are we clear?"_ He whispered, waiting for her go ahead.

"No, get back behind the box." She said, seeing someone approaching from the right. Wrench stepped back, hiding out of sight as the person passed him by, none the wiser. "Ok, now run to that parked truck."

Riley switched the camera again, watching as he sprinted across the open space. Despite knowing there wasn't anyone looking his way, it was still nerve-wracking to watch him in action because of her directions. One wrong move and he could be in a bad spot. _Focus, Riley. Don't let the pressure get to you._

"Ok, it's in that shed. No one's inside." She said after checking the camera, indicating a small wooden building directly in front of him. The screen switched back to where Wrench was. "There's two people walking to the right side of the truck. Stay there, wait until they pass. Then hold until my signal."

 _"_ _Got it."_ He whispered.

The goons were conversing amongst themselves, slowly walking past Wrench without knowing he was even there. One glance to the left and they'd see him though. Riley couldn't help but hold her breath, finally releasing it when they were behind one of the walls of the shed.

Next, her attention was on his surroundings, watching for anyone that might be looking his way. Seconds passed by, and Wrench got a little antsy just sitting there. _"Riley?"_ He asked, waiting for some indication.

"Wait." One goon in particular on the opposite deck was staring his direction. Swallowing dryly, she realized he had a gun strapped to his waist. And he looked ready and willing to use it, too. She stared at him, willing him to look away. There! Someone called for him, gaining his attention. "Ok, go!"

Without another moment to lose, Wrench ran for the door and threw it open. No one shouted out in alarm, thankfully, and he locked it behind him. "Nice." She praised, smiling in relief.

 _"_ _I aim to please."_ He said, and she laughed. From her view of him in the camera, she could see his mask take on his amused expression while setting the duffel bag down and placing charges on the machine. _"Heh, it's like you're my own personal Navi."_  
  
"Oh, please. Don't ever compare me to that useless blue fly. You'll have to come up with a better comparison."  
  
He seemed speechless at that, maybe thinking up another example.

  
Riley was already switching back to the outside cameras to watch for anyone that might be heading towards him. For the time being, the coast was generally clear. "Almost done?" She asked.

 _"_ _Yup. The last one should be in a private dock?"_ He confirmed, and he unlocked the door to the shed, waiting on her go-ahead. Riley waited for the next opening, then lead him back the way he'd come. The dock was outside of the gate, on the shoreline further north of the diner.

There weren't any security cameras that could really track his progress up until he made it to the covered dock. She accessed the only camera she could see, which was inside the structure. "Wait!" She said, noticing movement inside. Two people were conversing with each other right next to the ATM. "There's people inside. Is there any way to create a distraction?"

 _"_ _One distraction, coming up."_ He whispered, putting the duffel bag aside and digging in his pocket for something.

More out of paranoia than anything, Riley switched to the cameras covering the ATM's they'd already hooked up with explosives, making sure nothing was wrong. She froze, spotting someone walking towards the shack. "Uh, we might have a problem."

 _"_ _What? What's wrong?"_ He paused, stooping beside the building to appear less of a target.

"Shit…" She muttered, switching back to the camera inside the shed. Someone walked in, looking around curiously. He paused a second, then walked up to the machine and inspected the bars. "Someone just found the second ATM. He might try to take off the bombs."

 _"_ _Aw, fuck…I'll have to blow them now."_

"But they'll know you're there." Riley protested, watching anxiously as he walked quickly out of the shed, no doubt to notify somebody.

 _"_ _Doesn't matter. We don't want them salvaging any of the machines."_ Wrench said, pulling his phone out to detonate them remotely. Riley tensed, seeing two people return to the shed and start reaching for the explosives on the machine. Biting her lip, she braced for the sound of-

 _Boom! Boom!_ Two consecutive explosion echoed through the air, and the ground vibrated underneath her feet. She could see a billow of smoke rise in the air in the direction of the shed, and people screamed from within the diner. Like she predicted, a torrent of customer flooded out the entrance and ran towards their cars in the parking lot. Nobody was looking back at the diner though, so Riley went unnoticed.

Riley lost a visual on both cameras for the diner and shed, as they must have been damaged or destroyed from the blasts. A babble of yelling came from the back of the diner, and she became worried. They'd be combing the area now for who was responsible.

"Are you ok?" She asked, switching back over to the camera inside the dock. The two people in there were on high alert, but remained inside the building. Both of them had guns now cocked and ready to shoot. There was no response from Wrench, but as she watched the feed, he burst through the door and shot both goons inside. They had no time to react and fell to the ground in pain.

 _"_ _I am, but they're not._ " He finally replied, and she huffed out a breath of relief.

The brunette watched as he quickly knelt in front of the machine and placed the charges, taping them securely so they wouldn't fall off. He made a few more adjustments before grabbing the duffel bag and sprinting back out the door again.

Several seconds passed, with Riley trying to find a visual on him, before a third explosion rocked through the sky. More yells rang out, and Riley worried that they'd figured out where Wrench was. All she could hope for now was for him to get back soon so they could get out of there. All three machines were destroyed. Their mission was done.

And then the shooting started. Riley jumped, startled by the noise.

"Wrench, where are you?" She asked, peeking over the wooden crates to try to see. She spotted him hiding behind a tree near the side of the diner. Like he was covering from weapon fire in his direction. "Get out of there!"

 _"_ _Trying!_ " He said, swinging out from behind the tree and popping off a couple shots while he ran in the direction of the parking lot. The covering fire helped him get further out of range, before he dropped his returning shots entirely and began sprinting full tilt towards where she was hiding.

" _Get the car ready!"_ He said through the comms, and Riley scrambled up from her seat. She ran over to the car and slid hastily into the driver's seat. More gunshots rang out behind her, but she ignored it for now.

Fumbling for a moment with the keys, her haste getting the better of her, the brunette was able to shove them into the ignition and start the engine. She threw it into drive and waited for Wrench.

He was still running, and she saw him suddenly lurch forward, stumbling a few paces before picking up speed again. " _Ugh…fuck!"_ He muttered on the comms, and she worried he'd been shot. The Sons of Ragnarok thugs continued their shooting, trying to catch up with the fleeing hacker, even as he rounded around the car and threw himself inside.

"Go! Go!" He shouted, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Riley stepped on the gas and rocketed them forward towards the road.

Though her focus was mainly on the road as they get away, Riley then noticed that Wrench hadn't returned with the duffel bag. She glanced over, seeing him tapping a few commands into his phone. Her lips moved to ask where the rest of the explosives went, but the much bigger, much louder explosion that sent a vibration wave through them even from this distance answered it for her.

"That should slow them down." Wrench said breathlessly, shifting his left arm more comfortably.

"Did you get shot?" She glanced over, seeing blood freely streaming from his bicep. Wrench kept a hand covering the wound so she couldn't see how bad it was.

"It's fine, just get us out of here." He said, and she grimaced with concern. But, he was right. They had more pressing issues at the moment. She kept driving until they were in the middle of the city, where no amount of searching would uncover them. Time to get back to the hackerspace.

* * *

 

"You crazy motherfucker." Marcus said with an impressed smile when Wrench and Riley stepped foot into the hackerspace. The two guys met halfway and fist-bumped, but Wrench grunted with pain, forgetting his injured arm. His friend noticed, holding up his arm to see. "Yo, you got shot!"

"So don't jerk it around like that." He complained, wrenching his arm away from him, which actually just made things worse. "Ah, shit…"

"I have a first aid kit in my car." Riley offered, and Sitara nodded.

"That would probably be helpful." She said, and the brunette ran off to grab it.

When she returned, Wrench was leaning on his workbench, wrapping a ragged cloth around it, but Riley placed the first aid kit on the table and laid a hand on his to stop him. "Here, let's put a better one on there. And clean it first."

Wrench didn't say anything, but hesitantly let her unwrap the makeshift bandage he'd been attempting to wrap and set it to the side. Riley pulled up the closest chair and made him sit so she attend to it better.

"I can do it myself, you know." He offered not unkindly, but she waved his offer aside.

"Yeah, but so can I. I like feeling useful." She said, stopping any further argument thereafter.

Wrench sat there, letting her clean the wound. Thankfully it had gone all the way through and there wasn't a bullet to dig out. Wrench had a hard time looking at her, especially when her hands were pressing so gently against his arm and she was concentrating so hard. Her hair was a bit disheveled, probably from running to the car back there in a panic. It was…cute.

It was then that he realized he hadn't thanked her for all of her help. But with her so close like this, he didn't know how to say it properly. The words got caught in his throat. The sterile wipe passed over an especially tender point on the wound and he recoiled a little.

"Sorry." She said, smiling gently to assure him she'd be more careful.

Something came to mind, then. "Cortana." He said, catching her off guard.

"What?" She frowned, grabbing the roll of bandages from the kit.

His happy expression returned, and he rested his good arm on the table beside him. "Fuck Navi, like you said. You're like Cortana. From Halo."

The confusion cleared, and Riley laughed, nodding slowly to herself. "Which makes you Master Chief?"

The implications made Wrench giddy, and two heart icons appeared on his mask. "Fuck yeah."

Riley laughed again, and she tenderly wrapped the bandage around his arm, making sure it wasn't too tight to cut off circulation. "Well, even though I was terrified almost the whole time that something would go wrong…that was pretty awesome what you did."

Exclamation points replaced the hearts. Wrench honestly didn't know what to say other than… "Thanks."

They both went silent again while Riley finished up patching Wrench up.

* * *

 

Marcus and Sitara stood to the side, and he gestured over to the oblivious pair of hackers with emphasis. "I mean, look! What other proof could you possibly need?" He whispered.

Sitara looked unimpressed, shrugging. "Nope. It's not set in stone, Marcus. No indisputable proof? No $100." With that, she patted him empathetically on the arm and walked away with a smug smile. Marcus would have to do better than that to convince her.


	17. Don't Ever Change

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Riley asked, looking down at Wrench from her perch on top of the roof. Hands on her hips, she watched as he struggled to lift himself up the edge. Arm still bandaged thanks to her handiwork, it seemed to be giving him more trouble than she originally expected. It must have hit an important muscle. The masked hacker below swore beneath his breath again, just loud enough for her to hear.

He tried again, reaching up and grunting from the pain in his arm from lifting himself up about a foot. The rifle at his backHowever, the pain was too much and he dropped back to the ground. "Fuck this wall…"

This was ridiculous. Riley reached down, offering her a hand. "Wrench, just take my hand. At this rate, Marcus will get there and leave before we get in position."

"I can do it." He said, and she raised a brow.

"Uh huh."

He grumbled a bit more, but finally conceded that he couldn't do it himself in this state, and grabbed her hand with his. The brunette braced her feet against the edge of the roof and leaned back as he jumped up. With her weight as leverage, Wrench was able to climb up beside her on the roof.

"There, see? Not so hard." She said, and he sighed.

"Yeah. Just fuck this gunshot is all." He said miserably, his pride slightly wounded from needing help getting up a simple building. It wasn't even that high! Fuck Sons of Ragnarok…

Ignoring his wounded ego, Riley lead them over to where they could oversee the opposite block. The bar where they knew Lenni was was directly across from them, and Wrench picked a spot behind some smoke stacks to keep at least semi-hidden. The distance would be the biggest cover, but on the off chance she looked over, they wouldn't be the only obstructions to the roof line.

"Are we sure that's going to pick up the data?" Riley asked, gesturing to the rifle that Wrench unslung from his back. He shrugged.

"Well, I've tested it out a few times, and its worked before. So…yeah." He concluded with a happy expression, just happy he was able to actually field test it. He neglected to mention it hadn't seen use outside of his garage, but she didn't need to know that.

Still doubtful, Riley sat beside him and watched as he set up the rifle to aim towards the bar. He lined up the scope with the door, seeing her inside from the windows. Marcus was already on his way, but the real trick would be getting her outside where his RFID reader could reach.

"How are we going to get her to come outside?" Riley asked, but the gods must have been listening, because she pushed her way through the door and leaned against the wall, smoking on her e-cig.

"Well, that was easy." Wrench said lightly, reaching up to turn on the comm channel. "Hey, Marcus. Lenni just stepped outside. Better hurry."

_"_ _Almost there. Pulling up to the parking lot now."_

Even as he finished speaking, they both became aware of the loud rumbling of a motorcycle approaching. It grew louder, until Marcus came into view further away. He parked his bike in one of the spots, climbing off and walking towards the entrance of the bar.

Wrench and Riley watched as they met just outside the door. Lenni crossed her arms and stepped away in irritation, pointing at him a few times for emphasis. Marcus had turned off his comm channel, so neither of them could hear the conversation, but the mood was obvious. Lenni wasn't happy.

Wrench rolled his shoulder, trying to ease the discomfort of his arm as he lined up Lenni's arm in his scope. "Alright, stay still for me…" He muttered, trying to keep the chip in her arm lined up.

Riley watched from her perch beside him, seeing her talk animatedly, constantly moving and shifting and turning so her forearm was never in view for long enough. Marcus tried placating her, his body language and posture much calmer than Lenni's. But she wouldn't be calmed.

Wrench shook his head with a small sigh. "Too bad this isn't a real gun, huh?"

Riley gave him a pointed look, and he saw it out of the corner of his eye. "What? I'm kidding." He said with a shrug, leaning forward again to scope out her arm. He glanced her way quickly. "Kinda."

Riley elected to ignore his comment, instead watching as Marcus secretly tried to hold his phone under her arm to get the chip data himself. It was part of the ploy. She'd be suspicious otherwise.

Lenni raised her arm up away from his phone, keeping it there for several seconds. Wrench jumped on the opportunity, sighting in the small bump in her arm with the scope. However, just as it was ready to read, she held it to her chest. Kicking the ground in front of Marcus, the message behind it was obvious. Go away. Hanging his head in pretend shame, the hacker slunk away in defeat.

Of course, Lenni being Lenni, she couldn't resist one last passing insult. Holding her arm up in the loser sign on her forehead, the RFID chip was exposed again, and Wrench finished the data scan.

"Got it?" Riley asked as he eased up on the scope. He held up a fist, winking quietly. "Hell yeah." She said, returning the bump excitedly. She had almost been scared it wouldn't work.

She scrambled back from the roof and stood, making her way towards where the car had been parked. Wrench slung the gun over his back. Turning back towards Lenni, who pushed back inside the door to the bar, he held up a finger gun in her direction. Eyes displaying his amusement, he made a quiet gunshot noise, before turning and following after the brunette.

* * *

 

"Here's to motherfuckin' DedSec!" Marcus shouted, and the party attendees cheered, raising their glasses to the toast. Riley lifted her own beer and drank a long swig, celebrating with the rest of them.

After grabbing the RFID code from Lenni, Marcus had successfully broken into Prime_Eight's bunker and lifted the lock on their servers. Now, in pure DedSec fashion, they were throwing a party to celebrate. The old Prime_Eight bunker made a great new hackerspace for the local sect of hacker enthusiasts. This was a way to break it in and give it the official DedSec seal.

The old Prime_Eight graffiti was spray painted over and the familiar skull logos littered the walls now. It was great, but Riley couldn't help but feel the San Francisco HQ was the only DedSec location to her. It felt more like home.

The music was turned up full blast, the vibration echoing through the concrete walls. Dozens of bodies pushed into the small space made it hot and overwhelming. Riley had been able to snatch up a spot on one of the few couches, and she watched the crowds dance.

Marcus was over in the corner, talking to several women. She smiled, wondering which one of them he had hopes of taking home. He was making a bit of a name for himself within the DedSec community. Lots of girls were always flocking towards him at these things, she'd noticed.

A body approaching her made her look up, and a strangely familiar male face stared down at her with a smile. "Riley! It's good to see you again."

Where had she seen him before? It took a second or two, but she finally recognized him. "Nick, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." He muscled his way onto the couch next to her, giving her a look. "You didn't call."

"Oh…yeah…" This wasn't exactly the conversation she'd wanted to have that night. Or ever. Riley put on as nice as smile as she could, rubbing the back of her head. "About that…"

Nick laughed, holding up his hands to ease her worry. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding. No hard feelings, though. Really."

His smile lead her to believe him, as there wasn't any hurt or anger in his eyes. Riley relaxed a bit more, knowing that he didn't blame her for not having an interest. The awkwardness melted away.

He gestured to the party. "Pretty nice place, huh? Prime_Eight might be a bunch of assholes, but they've got some nice digs and style. Nice tech, too." His eyes lit upon the large computer screens that they'd moved to the edge of the room.

"Oh yeah. Of course, the _bombs_ it could have done without…" She said, and they both laughed.

Over at the ping pong table, where a rousing game of beer pong was being waged, the crowd cheered loud over the music, and Riley heard the familiar tone of Wrench's mask as he joined in with them. She spotted him between the people that walked in front of her. His enthusiasm made her smile.

Nick must have noticed her staring. "Oh, I didn't know you came with a date." He said, tilting his head in confusion. "He didn't ditch you, did he?"

"Hmm?" She frowned in confusion. Nick jerked his head over to Wrench, and his meaning became clear. Riley seemed to catch herself up on the word 'date,' and she could feel her cheeks attempting to blush deeply. "O-oh! Uhh…no, nothing…like that. Heh. I mean…not, not the _date_ thing. Or the ditching. Neither." She stuttered out, feeling mortified that it had actually come out of her mouth so terribly.

Nick laughed and nodded slowly. "If you say so." He stood then, sighing loudly. "Well, I'd best get back to my own date. She wandered off somewhere and I'm trying to find her. Wish me luck." He rose from his seat and shimmied his way through the crowd until she lost sight of him.

Riley smiled, glad he was courteous about her not being interested. She might even get a friend out of all of that. Ruefully, she wondered if Dan from work would ever get the hint, then decided that he wouldn't.

Another person came over, and Ray pointed to the cushion beside her. "Is this seat taken?"

"Nope." She scooted over a bit to give him more room. He turned and sat down slowly, groaning while doing so. "I didn't really expect to see you here." She blurted out before she could stop herself. Hopefully he didn't take it in a rude way.

He smiled, and nodded. "Me neither. I'm gettin' too old for these things." He lifted his beer bottle. "But…not for these. Here's a tip for when you're my age. Never pass up free alcohol." Then he took another swig.

Riley nodded, unsure of how to respond, or even what to say to him. She had yet to really get to know him or meet the man face to face since he'd joined. He was always off on his own secret missions while Riley was around.

A long pause stretched between them, before Ray seemed to collect himself. "My bad, it just occurred to me that we haven't really met yet. I'm Ray." He held out his hand to shake, and Riley took it courteously.

"Riley."

He nodded. "Ah, Riley, that was it. Couldn't quite remember your name from Swelter Skelter. Kept thinking it was Rachel…or something."

"Well, I wouldn't blame you. That night was a bit…crazy." She finished, unable to come up with a better word for it. He laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah, well. That's the way it is." He turned back towards her. She couldn't help but feel like he gave off that comforting vibe that offered his knowledge to anyone who cared enough to ask. As he talked to her and the legend surrounding his name started to fade away into the real person, the apprehension she'd carried started to disappear. He wasn't as intimidating as she'd made him out to be in her head.

"If I can admit something freely here," He started up again, grimacing a little when he looked her way, "when I agreed to come on board with DedSec, I did a little digging of my own on who I'd be working with. And your file had me wondering about something."

Riley paused, hoping he wouldn't mention her father. It wasn't really something to talk about in public like this. Nor with him, specifically. She barely knew him. Nodding silently, she gave him the go ahead to continue. She might as well listen to what he had to say.

"You didn't go to that community college in a field where you could learn coding, and neither of your parents were in any sort of position where they had experience with it. So, I'm wondering, where did you learn your stuff from?"

She felt a wave of relief, and she shrugged. "I used to live in New York, and my best friend was really into hacking. He started when he was young, and taught himself. He helped me learn a lot of what I know."

"Any particular handle he went by?" Ray was narrowing his eyes, as if waiting for a specific answer. She frowned.

"Uh, yeah. He went by Cyph3r."

Ray thought about it for a moment. "When's the last time you were in contact with him?"

The question caught her off guard. What did this have to do with anything? Did Ray know him? "Hell, it's been…years, for sure. After my dad-" She caught herself before continuing, "-died…I moved with my mom to another part of the state. I never saw or heard from him after that."

"Huh." He looked down at the beer in his hand, as if debating whether to tell her what was on his mind. "Well, I've heard of your friend. And you should hope never to hear from him again, Riley. For your own good."

The brunette frowned, staring at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Ray looked uncomfortable relaying the information to her, and he gestured outwards with his beer bottle. "He's a notorious black-hat, only in it for himself. I've heard of people working with him only to be double-crossed and backstabbed later."

Ray huffed humorlessly. "Hell, the kid's responsible for dozens of ransomware schemes, he's been known to funnel data to terrorists overseas…you name the crime, he's probably dipped his fingers in it."

She shook her head. "That doesn't sound like him at all. It could be another person? Posing as him?"

Ray sighed, straightening in his seat. "His name is Jack Carter. Born in Upstate New York to a couple of equal rights activists. Has a birthmark on his left arm in the shape of a star. Mild diagnosis of asthma-"

"Ok!" She said, wanting it to stop. She sighed, shoulders slumping. The mild buzz she'd had from her beer had vanished completely by now. "Ok…so maybe I didn't know him as well as I thought…"

"Oh, I'm sure he wasn't lying to you, RIley. Kid was probably genuine when you knew him." He said, drinking the rest of his beer bottle in a few sips. He let out a satisfied 'ahh' and wiped his lips. "But people can change a whole lot in the span of several years. He's not the same person you once knew."

Riley's face fell, but she was still curious. Jack had always talked about making a name for himself. This wasn't at all what she'd expected, but how had he gotten to that point? She was curious. "What happened to him?"

Ray sniffed, then shrugged. "He erased a lot of his file, but from what I can gather, his parents sent him to a boarding school for a summer. Kid changed after that. Lots of disciplinary marks through high school, then graduated from Columbia University with the highest honors and fell off the map for awhile. His most recent activity was in Florida, though. Found his name associated with a smuggling operation down there at the coast."

Riley nodded slowly, still unable to comprehend exactly what Ray was telling her. Her childhood friend…now a criminal? What reasonable person could justify working with those sorts of operations? I mean, Riley worked for DedSec, but it was the good of the people. They might do small crimes here and there but…the more she thought about it, was it really all that different? Was she any better?

Ray must have noticed her faraway expression and realized what she'd been thinking, because he placed a hand on her shoulder and shook gently. "Hey, don't you go doubting what we've gotta do just because of Jack. He's a fucked up psycho in his own right. There's no getting him back. But you're nothing like him. You do this with others in mind. Not yourself."

The brunette nodded mutely, but that still left the small betrayal that her friend wasn't the same as before. He sighed, and shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry for even bringing it up. This ain't the right place for that and-"

"No, it's not your fault." She rushed to reassure him. "I asked and…well, it's kind of better to know than to always wonder…even if it wasn't what you were hoping for…"

The older man nodded slowly, before patting her shoulder once and moving to stand. "Well, keep your chin up, kiddo. From what I can see, this team of weirdos isn't going anywhere, and not changing anytime soon. Enjoy what you've got now, not what you've lost before. Believe me."

Riley watched Ray move off towards the coolers of beer, and she was left with her turbulent thoughts. Suddenly the atmosphere of the bunker was much too stifling for her, and she stood to leave. Her buzz was gone, and her mood was killed beyond salvaging. Or so she thought.

Riley tried to squeeze her way through the crowd of people, feeling increasingly too hot and claustrophobic the longer she couldn't find the exit. There were too many people, the music too loud, and the smell of alcohol too think on the air.

The lights were dim, with only multicolored decorative lights leading her anywhere. Riley couldn't find the exit and felt a sense of despair she couldn't explain wash over her. She hugged her arms to her chest, trying to wedge her way through the people. She didn't notice the tears on her cheeks.

A hand grabbed her arm, and pulled her in the opposite direction. She jerked her head around, startled. She saw the bright Xs of Wrench's mask and instantly relaxed. "This way!" He said over the music, guiding her where he pointed. She didn't question him as to where she was being taken, just let him lead her wherever they were going.

Wrench was taller than her and was a bit more intimidating of a presence. People moved out of the way when he walked, making it a much easier ordeal to navigate the bunker. Riley stayed behind in his wake, blushing slightly when she realized Wrench's grip had moved from her arm to her own hand.

He easily pushed through the door to the bunker and Riley breathed in the cooler, much fresher air of the outdoors. She filled her lungs, happy the stuffiness has disappeared. The brunette expected them to stop once right outside the door, but Wrench continued to walk closer to the shore with her in tow.

They crossed over the street and walked down closer to the water's edge. The waves lapped gently against the shore, and Riley sighed in comfort. She'd always liked the sound of water. Wrench let go of her hand and allowed her to walk a few paces away from him. She squatted by the water and dipper a few fingers in, feeling the blessed chill.

"How'd you know I was trying to leave?" She asked suddenly, turning to look at him. He was slouched casually, his hands in his pockets. At her question, he shrugged with three dots for eyes.

"You were looking a little panicked, and…well, it was sort of suffocating in there anyway. Thought you might want some air."

"Oh. Thank you." She said, and Wrench's eyes switched back to his default Xs.

"Anytime."

Riley couldn't help but feel that Wrench was uncharacteristically subdued at the moment. She'd heard him having a good time in there earlier. Had something happened? Was he ok? Or, maybe he was annoyed that he had to deal with her rather than enjoying himself inside.

Was she no more than an annoyance?

Riley looked out over the water, feeling the wind pluck at her hair and face in random bursts. She couldn't help the sigh that escaped her.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about your job?" Wrench asked suddenly, causing her to look over at him. However, his face was turned away towards the city, giving her no indication as to what he was feeling. It sounded neutral enough.

"I don't know yet." She answered honestly. She'd spent a long time trying to come up with an answer. Even after hours of debating it, countless pros and cons lists, and a simple coin flip, she really didn't know. "I've started packing small things here and there. That way if I do leave, I've already got a head start, but nothing major if I decide on staying."

Riley expected some sort of answer, but he only nodded silently.

On his end, Wrench felt a deepening dread, that his time with her was short. She'd only be staying for less than a month now, and then he doubted he'd see her again. A few hours might not sound like much, but that sort of distance just to see her maybe once a week? Would she even welcome him following after her? What if she was put on assignment across the country? What then?

Riley's own words from the diner, said in a completely different context and regarding someone else entirely, kept coming back to him. _It'll give you incentive to work up the courage next time, right?_ Well, he supposed now would have been a great time to tell her. Both of them alone on the beach…

Wrench clenched his fist at his side. He couldn't fucking do it. He just…couldn't. There was too much of himself he was holding back, and would she even understand his fears if he tried explaining them? How could he even begin to explain how he felt without the mask on? Would she turn away as soon as he refused to? God, there were too many what-ifs and unknowns that Wrench could barely think straight.

But he had to say _something._ Staying silent wasn't an option.

"You should stay." He finally managed, daring a glance over at her. Her eyebrows raised, as if unsure of what he meant. "Here, I mean. With us."

Riley looked down, expressing uncertainty. "It's not like I necessarily _want_ to leave, but that's where my job is taking me, Wrench. I don't have a choice."

"But you do." He said. "I mean…you can get another journalist job here in San Francisco, and still be a part of DedSec." He explained, fully turning towards her now that he'd thrown it out there. "You wouldn't need to move and we could still work together."

"It's not that simple…"

Wrench shook his head, intent on pulling his point across. "No, Riley, it is. And with you being a hacker, it makes it even easier."

"…" She didn't know what to say to that, but felt strangely warm to know that he didn't want her to go. It was nice to know that people would miss her if she were to leave. She'd have people thinking about her. People that wanted her close. And the fact that Wrench was one of those people was heartwarming.

Wrench realized that what he said could be taken as a demand, so he backtracked a little. "Don't take that as me making you stay. I wouldn't begin to tell you how to live your life. Just…seriously consider it. All of us want you to stay, not just me."

The very fact that he didn't make her promise to stay, knowing full well she might not be able to keep it, made her extremely grateful to him. Obviously he didn't want her to go, but he wouldn't resent her with a broken promise if she ultimately chose to follow where her current job took her. That was worth more to her than anything. She hated disappointing others.

Riley smiled thinly. "I promise I'll think about it seriously." That was a promise she could keep.

Satisfied that she wouldn't leave without at least looking back, Wrench nodded and stuffed his hands back into his pockets again. Now that he'd said his bit, he didn't want to talk any further. Instead, letting the silence stretch between them. Not in an uncomfortable way, but just to watch the ocean with her next to him. He couldn't have asked for more than that anyway.

"Wrench." She said, and he turned to look at her. The brunette then flashed him a wide, genuine smile, and he couldn't have looked away for the life of him. "Stay just the way you are, ok? Don't ever change."

The hacker's heart clenched a little, rising up into his throat. He didn't know what expression showed on his mask, nor did he care, because just hearing those words was way better than any explosion or customized gun he could ever make in his life. She didn't want him to change? She liked the way he was now? Genuinely? That was more soul affirming than he could put into words.

But Wrench wasn't one to outwardly show those emotions, so used to letting the mask display only what he wanted to. So, he only shrugged and flashed a happy expression. "Didn't plan on it."

Before he could react, Riley had already wrapped her arms around him and was hugging him tight. She spoke a mumbled 'thank you' against his chest, and squeezed tighter. He paused, but finally reciprocated the gesture, glad none of the gang was around to tease him about it. He much preferred to keep this to himself.


	18. Not Like The Movies

If Riley had felt like she was being watched at work for the past week or so, today was extremely uncomfortable.

Every time she passed by one of the security guards, they watched her like a hawk until she was out of sight. Her skin crawled each time she came in close proximity. It was like they were just daring her to slip up and prove to them that she…wait, what were they suspicious of her for? Did they know about her connection to DedSec? How could they? Maybe the backdoor incident with Marcus? If so, why did they wait so long? Shit.

Riley played it as cool as she could, not wanting to give them any more reason to be wary. She pretended like she didn't even notice, and worked through the day without anything out of the ordinary happening. Until her lunch break came around.

Dan rounded the corner to her cubicle just as she stood to leave, placing her headset on the charger. "Hey, Riley?"

"Uh, yeah…did you need something?" She asked, a little surprised Dan was talking to her all of a sudden. This wasn't his usual time to speak to her.

He shrugged, handing her a letter. "Just came from a meeting, and the boss wanted me to give this to you. Any idea what it is?"

She took the letter, looking over the blank front. "No." Was her honest answer. There wasn't anything she'd been expecting. Her heart sank as a feeling of dread came over her. Shit…

"Alright well, have a good lunch." He said, going back to his own desk. She heard him sit down and take his headset off of his charger, clicking and typing as he logged back into his work system.

Riley immediately opened the envelope and read the contents.

_Miss Clarke,_

_It has come to our attention that your employee file contains some discrepancies. This could either mean the information we have is incorrect, or there are values missing within the system. We would like to fix this issue as soon as possible._

_In addition, there is a possibility your workspace was corrupted during an IT issue last week, and we'd like our technicians to take a look. This will take up most of the afternoon, so management has approved a half-day leave of absence while the inspection and update takes place. You may clock-out during your lunch period and take the rest of the day off._

_Please report to the IT director on the first floor tomorrow morning before your shift to have the issues in your file addressed, and please notify management should you notice any continuing problems with your workspace._

_Sandra Jennings_

_ProviBlue, CEO_

Riley wondered if it were really discrepancies in her file, or if this was a way for upper management to pin her in a corner without alerting her to anything they suspected. The corrupted workspace she knew to be a lie. There were no issues with her system, and it was probably just a way for them to snoop through her files. She had a feeling it was the latter, but if they fired her, what could she really do? She'd known the risks by helping DedSec. Seemed it was all starting to come to a head. She supposed it was fitting anyway. Her investigative job was pulling out on her. Why not ProviBlue too?

The compiling problems were discouraging and left her feeling drained. Maybe a nap was in order. That, or some cuddles with Pants. She hadn't been able to spend time with the cat quite like she used to. Not for lack of caring or anything, but with DedSec and work, there just wasn't time anymore.

Riley tucked the letter into her bag and took her leave, not feeling quite as hungry as she had a minute ago. Yes, a nap was definitely in order.

* * *

 

The brunette was altogether not surprised when, as soon as she mentioned to the gang that they let her go early, they already had a task for her to do. And funnily enough, her fatigue from earlier at work was gone, excited with the prospect of what her next mission would be. Would it be as exciting as when her and Wrench blew up those bank machines?

Turns out, it wasn't. But, it was still important to DedSec, so she didn't mind.

 _"_ _We've been getting reports that the Bratva are running around outside their usual area of influence. We're not quite sure what it means yet, but we've got a guy digging in for more info."_ Marcus told her.

 _"_ _That's not all though."_ Josh said. _"Wrench noticed that FBI vans are being posted in various areas around the city."_

"FBI? What for?"

 _"_ _Who knows?"_ Marcus said. _"But I don't like the fact that both the FBI and Bratva are active at the same time. Something's up. I want to know what."_

"What do you need me to do?" She asked, getting dressed into something more comfortable than her normal work clothing. The slacks and blouse were stifling in the heat from outside.

Sitara jumped in this time. _"Wrench is out looking into a lead on the FBI already. Meet with our informant and see what they've learned about the Bratva so far. It could be nothing, but better to know what's going on with the gangs than to be caught by surprise."_

"Alright, got it." Riley said. "Anything I should know before I go?"

 _"_ _We've sent the coordinates to your GPS. Just watch out for Bratva. And FBI."_ Josh added helpfully, and Riley grinned.

"That goes without saying."

* * *

 

Riley ended up just taking the bus rather than drive her own car. It wasn't that far from home, and she didn't feel like driving anyway. It reminded her too much that she wasn't at work, which only distracted her with worries about the state of her employment.

Shaking away her thoughts, Riley got off at the closest stop and walked towards the GPS location that Josh had marked. She passed by shops and eating establishments on either side of the street, and the smells were heavenly. She still hadn't eaten lunch, but that could come afterwards. DedSec needed this info first.

The marker brought her to a small cafe. She walked in, and looked around. They hadn't told her who she'd be meeting, but they didn't have to. She recognized Gooly immediately and wandered over when he waved.

She sat in the seat opposite him, and returned his fist bump. "What's up Gooly?"

"Not much, you?"

"Oh you know, the usual." She smiled, watching him munch away on a donut. "Got some info for me?"

He nodded, finishing his bite of his food and wiping at his mouth before clearing his throat. "So, the Bratva. They're venturing out of their territory for some reason."

"Do we know why?"

Gooly shrugged. "Can't tell for sure, but it seems to me that they're looking for someone or something. The bosses are pretty tight-lipped about who or what, even in emails and phone calls, so I haven't been able to narrow it down yet."

Riley nodded, grateful when the waitress came over and offered her a menu. She was starving. Placing a quick order, she sent the menu back off with the waitress before continuing her conversation. "That's a bit concerning. If there's a shift in power between the gangs, who knows what sort of effect that could have?"

"Exactly. Remove one piece and the whole system can go out of whack."

Riley nodded slowly, processing the info. What the Bratva were doing could be nothing more than recon. Checking on their rivals without making any moves yet. Though, things could be much worse than they thought.

"Anything else I need to know?" She asked, seeing he'd finished his meal. He cleared the plate and wiped his mouth, signaling to the waitress that he'd like his check. She brought it around and he gave her his card.

"Just watch your back. We don't quite know what they're after yet, so be alert wherever you go. The Bratva aren't kind to people who snoop into their business. Tell the others to be careful, too."

"I will." She said, going quiet as the waitress came around with his bill. He quickly signed the paper and snatched his card back. She thanked him and Gooly stood to leave. Riley nodded a quick goodbye as he stood, watching him exit the cafe and walk away down the sidewalk.

Riley sat there and waited for her own food, her stomach grumbling in anticipation.

* * *

 

"So, according to Gooly," Riley told the others after having finished her meal, "the Bratva seem to be searching for…something. We aren't quite sure who or what yet."

 _"_ _Huh. Must be important if they're this far out of their turf."_ Wrench said, having finished his lead.

"I guess. Gooly says we should tread carefully, though. Bratva on the move aren't a good sign, and the shift of gang power could cause something big." Riley was walking her way over to the bus station, intent on catching the next train.

 _"_ _We will. In the meantime, Josh thinks he uncovered something that could be related to all this movement."_ Marcus input, and Josh took over from there.

_"_ _Alejandro Jackofski has been giving illegal immigrants passports in exchange for performances for his pornographic films. The Bratva are in business with him, helping traffic the immigrants over."_

"Jeez…" She muttered, grimacing at the description. It didn't sound too pleasant. "Maybe this is related somehow?"

 _"_ _Not sure, but it's worth a look."_ Marcus answered. _"Sitara and I are off to investigate. We'll keep in touch."_

"Alright, be careful." The line disconnected, but she felt a vibrate in her ear a moment later. "Yes?"

" _Are you really going to take the bus home when I'm like a five minute drive away from you?"_ Wrench asked incredulously, and she smiled.

"Is that an offer?"

_"_ _Is that a refusal?"_

"I suppose not." She laughed.

_"_ _With all these Bratva and FBI fucks wandering around, we shouldn't be going places alone. That's why Sitara's going with Marcus."_

It made sense, but it still felt nice to know that Wrench was looking out for her. Even if just in a logical and business sense. "Thanks for watching out for me."

_"_ _Well, if I don't, who's going to?"_

She had nothing to say to that, because the answer was really nobody. Of course, the other members of DedSec would be watching her back too. But from Riley's perspective, Wrench represented DedSec to her, which left nobody else on that list. She sat on the closest bench and waited for him to come get her, like the gentleman he was.

* * *

 

"So, what's with the FBI?" Riley asked while he drove her home. Obviously the subject irritated him, because his eyes became angry slants.

"They're following other hacker groups around, putting the pressure on…it's happened before, but the timing makes me a little worried."

"How so?"

"Well…" He paused, making sure his earpiece was turned off. "Having the FBI close by is never good. Plus, with Ray joining the group and the FBI showing up in the same few weeks? I don't like it."

Riley raised a brow in surprise. "You don't trust him?"

"I like not to trust anyone until I know where their loyalties lie. I mean…you know that." He said with a careless hand gesture, referring to his initial animosity towards her when she first joined. She nodded her understanding.

"Sure, you could be right. But it could be any number of things that caused them to scout the area, and any number of people who could have alerted them to what we're doing."

"Yeah, I know…I just want to bring up the possibility to someone I trust. Just to get the idea out there." He admitted, eyes returning to Xs. Riley smiled when she realized Wrench trusted her. The topic needed no further discussion, though.

Despite the controversial conversation, the drive was too short, in her opinion. The cafe hadn't been all that far from home anyways, but the transit system always took longer than a car drive. Wrench got them there in record time, and Riley was sad their visit came to an end.

He walked her to her door on the third floor, leaning casually against the wall while she unlocked it. "Thanks again for taking me home. You seem to be doing that a lot lately."

"Ah, don't mention it. I don't mind." He shrugged away the thanks, glad the mask covered his flustered face. Riley's perfume smelled really good this close up, and he couldn't get the scent out of his conscious.

The lock clicked and she opened it easily. "See you around." She bid him goodbye, flashing him a quick smile before disappearing behind the door.

* * *

 

Riley rested her head against the door and sighed deeply. Her heart ached for a brief moment, and she knew her feelings were much deeper for the hacker than she'd thought they would go. He was just so…charming. And considerate. Funny, dorky, and just fun to be around. You wouldn't think any of those things by looking at him. Maybe he intentionally dressed that way for that reason. But Riley was really glad to have gotten to know him.

She turned away from the door and set down her bag on the kitchen counter. Pants didn't greet her as usual, which was strange. Riley tried spotting him in the living room but he wasn't there. The tv was still running, playing some news channel-

Wait.

Riley frowned, instantly on alert. She hadn't put the tv on before leaving the house. And the absence of Pants was nothing like the cat. Where was her pet? Why was her tv on? Who had been in her house?

The bowl where she'd put some extra cash for emergencies was emptied. Someone had stolen that too. She didn't know if the robber was still here, but she would damn well make sure they wouldn't be any longer.

The brunette quietly reached for the gun in her purse, undoing the safety and holding it by her side. The air was deathly still, save for the quiet sounds of the tv still continuing to play. "Pants?" She called out experimentally in a normal voice. It was best not to alert whoever was still here, if they were, that she was suspicious. "Where are you, little buddy?"

She heard a muffled meow coming from the direction of her bathroom. It echoed inside the room, and small scratching noises on the door made her realize they locked him in there. How dare they. They could trespass on her house, steal her stuff, but how dare they trap her cat like that. This was inexcusable.

Riley made her way over to the bathroom, trying the door experimentally. It was locked, and opened to reveal the distraught cat inside, looking up at her in fright. She knelt and scratched behind his ears. "How'd you get in here, Pants? What happened?"

Despite her visual distraction, RIley's ears were perked up to pick up any sound from behind her. There was nothing. She narrowed her eyes, standing with one last pat on Pants' head. "Come on, let's go lay down." She said sweetly, still playing up the illusion just in case.

Leaving the bathroom, Riley slowly made her way towards the bedroom, gun raised just a little in preparation. The door was closed, as she'd left it, but that didn't mean-

Riley was thrown into the opposite wall when the hall closet door burst open beside her with the weight of a full grown man. "Ugh!" She grunted when she hit the hard wall, the grip on her gun loosening enough for it to drop from her grasp. Her shock was enough for her attacker to catch her in a choke hold. Riley started to panic, breathing faster until she felt a cloth forced against her mouth. Most likely chloroform.

Riley stopped breathing entirely, holding her breath and blinding swinging her limbs in an attempt to ward off the man.

"перестань болтать, ты сука." He man muttered angrily, but she couldn't understand what he meant. Somewhere in the back of her mind she identified it as Russian, but there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Her lungs on fire as the seconds stretched from lack of breathing, one of Riley's legs swung back at just the right angle to catch the man in the crotch. He grunted out painfully, removing his hands from her to nurse his injured manhood.

She took a deep breath now that the cloth was away from her face, and scrambled for her gun. However, the man wouldn't be discouraged so easily. He caught her foot and dragged her down the hall away from her weapon. She grit her teeth, desperately trying to free herself.

Her small stature and his bigger frame proved to be too much for her to fight against, plus another man appeared from her bedroom, joining her first attacker in holding her in place. The cloth reappeared in front of her face, and despite her best effort the rising panic was her downfall. She found herself greedily breathing in air try to replenish what she'd lost, and in doing so fell deeper and deeper into the black as her consciousness faded.

* * *

 

Wrench stood there another moment after she went inside, tossing around the scenario in his head if he were to go in there and just…ugh, he didn't know. Kiss her out of nowhere? That wouldn't be romantic at all. In fact, it was much more likely to earn him a punch to the face than anything else.

Wrench shook his head and descended the stairs towards the car. Marcus had said something before, about how he was always one to take risks. Never before had he been hesitant to take a chance at something that wouldn't work. An op that was likely to end in injury and/or death? Hell, bring it on. But this…was that same mindset even remotely a good idea? Would that scare her away?

The last thing he wanted to do was mess this up like he had with Cara. He was legitimately trying, and he wouldn't forgive himself if his usual attitude was the cause of it all falling apart. Wrench kicked at a rock on the sidewalk, hearing it skitter across the concrete until it settled in the nearby grass.

Wrench idly turned on the com channel, wondering what the others were up to. "Yo, M. How's the Bratva angle coming along?"

 _"_ _Not bad, but damn. I've seen one too many sex toys to ever want to see one again. Way too many."_ Wrench could just imagine his shudder, and shook his head.

"Most people would count themselves lucky to get to see a glimpse of a porn film studio, you know."

_"_ _Not me."_

"Aww, come on. You're no fun. Imagine all the ideas for future encounters!"

_"_ _I'd really rather not…but listen. Where are you at right now?"_

"Just dropped Riley off at home. Why?"

Marcus laughed knowingly. " _Oh, I see how it is."_

"What?" He asked. "I just gave her a ride home. Nothing more."

" _Huh. Ok. Alright. If that's all it was."_

Wrench displayed two annoyed commas on his mask, even though the other hacker couldn't even see them. "Marcus." He said in warning.

_"_ _Yeah, yeah, I'm just playing. How are you two, anyway?"_

Wrench sighed, unsure of what to say. "Well, it's…complicated…"

His mind was so preoccupied with his thoughts and the conversation, he didn't even register the half a dozen armed agents surrounding him.

"Hold it right there!" A guy yelled, and Wrench jerked to face him. One look at the various guns pointed at him and he knew he couldn't escape from this. There were too many people, and they were too close already. Pissed off that he'd been caught in this position, Wrench held up his hands in cooperation.

"I'm not doing anything!" He said, trying to back away slowly.

 _"_ _Wrench? What's going on?"_ He heard Marcus ask in his ear, but he wasn't in a position to respond. The armed agents weren't in the mood to wait for him.

"Get on the ground, now!" One of them yelled, walking forward with his gun pointed at his chest.

"I'm just…walking my cat?" He tried, more to be a smartass than anything. He couldn't resist. Instantly, one of the guys behind him tackled him to the ground, shoving his face into the grass. He grunted from the impact and tried standing to run away, but the weight of whoever had tackled him settled on his back, and his hands were forced into handcuffs. The metal dug into his skin uncomfortably.

 _"_ _Wrench, say something, man. What the hell's going on?"_ Marcus tried again, but Wrench couldn't speak.

They roughly jerked him to his feet again, pushing him towards one of their black vans. He was just glad his earpiece was still on, because DedSec would be able to easily track him that way.

* * *

 

The next thing Riley knew, she was strapped in a chair in some sort of warehouse-like room. It was wide and spacious, and completely concrete. The windows high above on the wall let light filter through, but they were foggy and dirty, making it difficult to see through.

The room was large and echoey, meaning she heard every footstep as one of the two thugs who'd kidnapped her paced the floor. She must have made an involuntary noise as she roused, because one spoke up to the other.

"эй, она бодрствует."

"о времени." The other replied, crossing his arms over his chest. Riley looked up when they both approached, staring down at her with disgust. There was another foldable chair sat in front of her, and one of them used it to face her at eye level.

"About time you woke up." He said in a thick accent. "We are the FBI. We have a few questions for you."

Her head was killing her, no doubt from the chloroform wearing off, and the scuffle from her apartment. She said nothing, not believing their statement one bit. For one, they hadn't flashed any sort of official badge or identification to prove they were the authorities, and no FBI agent would be dressing like a Bratva gang member, for another.

Her extended silence seemed to aggravate them, and her head was jerked to the side from the backhand that the thug send across her face. She tensed up from shock, the sting delaying for a second before radiating across her face. That hurt like a bitch.

The FBI generally didn't physically interrogate their suspects like this either. Another tally on the 'Not-FBI' board.

"Start talking. Where did you hide your information?"

Even through her anger, she couldn't help but frown in confusion. "Information?"

Riley grunted as another backhand was sent her way. "You don't get to ask questions! Where is the investigation information? Where did you hide it?"

Her confusion left her speechless, earning her another slap. Reflex tears were streaming down her face at this point, and she was sure to have imprints on her cheeks, but what the hell was he talking about? Her investigation? Was this not about DedSec?

Riley was glad she'd finally cleaned up her desk the weekend before, putting the information she'd dug up so far onto a digital copy and tossing the physical into the trash. She'd needed to reduce it to a compact size she could bring with her when she left San Francisco, but she supposed now it meant it was out of Bratva hands.

…which, by the way, why did they want her information?

"Do you understand what trouble you will be facing if you do not talk?" He said again in that thick accent, raising his hand to hit her again. Riley prepared for the smack before it landed, and she didn't even make a sound this time.

Riley glared at them silently, not bothering to give them the satisfaction of looking scared. On the inside, she was terrified. She'd always played with the thought that this job could be dangerous, but she hadn't ever imagined it would lead to this. When she'd first started working there, each new employee had been given special instructions if they ever found themselves in this situation.

Well, she couldn't remember a damn word of it now that it actually _had_ come to it. Riley had to go off her own instincts now, and hoped that somehow DedSec would figure out she'd been kidnapped. Hopefully Wrench tried to call her and would find it weird that she wasn't answering. She could only hope.

Wrench. Was he ok? Hopefully he made it away from her apartment safe before she'd been kidnapped. She'd hate herself if he got dragged into this because of her.

Her mind went to her phone, which was no longer in her pocket. In fact, she didn't know where it was. However, her long hair hid the earpiece that was still in her ear. Miraculously, it hadn't fallen out during the brawl at her apartment. If she could just reach up and turn it on-

Another smack across her face stopped that train of thought, and she looked up to see the Bratva member smiling viciously. "You do not want to talk? Fine. We have ways to make you wish you did."

The sound of a phone ringing cut off anything else the Russian was about to do, and the second brute who'd only observed up to that point pulled the loud device out of his pocket. "What?" He asked bluntly, walking a ways away from the other two. Riley stared after him in curiosity, wondering who he could have been talking to. There were several seconds of silence as he listened to whatever it was the other person was saying.

"No, she will not tell us…it was not at her apartment." Another long pause, and the Bratva member growled under his breath. "This is getting nowhere. Torture will make her talk." He said matter of factly.

Riley swallowed down the fear that rose at that word. Torture. She'd never been tortured before. The movies always tried to make it as dramatic and sickening as possible, but she had a feeling the real thing was so much worse than what the screen could portray. Her toes curled in her shoes, wondering what exactly kind of torture they had in mind. There were many different kinds, and her being a female meant there was one in particular that they could resort to.

Riley didn't know if she could withstand something like that.

The person on the phone was yelling now, and she could hear the tone, but not the words. The Bratva member held it away from his ear because of how loud they were.

"So fucking loud!" He complained, sighing and turning towards her. "Alright. We will do it your way. For now." Riley stared at the phone, wishing she knew who was on the other end. The Bratva member shook his head, laughing cruelly. "You payed us to do the job, so we'll do it. As long as you get the data, what does it matter? Leave it to us."

He hung up the phone without waiting for an answer, then nodded towards his companion "Please…continue." He said with a slow gesture of his hand.

The other Bratva member grinned, making a statement of cracking his knuckles in anticipation. Riley glanced between the both of them, hoping she'd be able to withstand whatever they had in store for her.


	19. Interrogation

Riley moaned in pain, spitting out another wad of blood from her cheek onto the warehouse floor. Her face felt swollen and nearly numb at this point. The punches that followed each unanswered question on her part was beginning to take its toll. She felt blood dripping down from her forehead, staining her shirt. The taste of blood in her mouth was overwhelming and nauseating.

"Still don't want to talk, lady?" The Bratva asked, slightly out of breath. His hands were just as bruised as her face. Apparently throwing a punch took a toll on one's hands. He shook them out to get some feeling back, even as Riley lolled her head to the side. She was so tired. She needed a nap. Maybe it would help the pain go away.

As soon as her eyes closed for even a fraction of a moment, a hand tightly grasped her hair in a fist and yanked her head back painfully. "Ahh!" She cried out, her neck craning at a frightening degree. A disturbing question shot through her head. How easily could the human neck break? Didn't that almost always mean paralysis?

"Huh?" The Bratva tried again, leaning closer to listen for any response. Riley gathered up as much spit as she could and hocked it into the guy's face. He recoiled, letting go of her hair. "вы заплатите за эту суку!" He cried, baring his teeth as he planted a booted foot on her chest and shoved her back with all his strength.

She was sent tumbling backwards, still strapped in the chair, for several feet, before it toppled over. Her head hit the concrete painfully, and she saw stars. Something warm and wet started to wet the back of her head. Shit, that might have been a fractured skull. It didn't help her any that she'd taken some medical anatomy in high school. Knowing what was going on with her body was nearly as terrifying as experiencing it. She knew how fragile the human body could be.

How much more could she take?

"I'm getting tired of the silence." The Bratva grumbled with a thunderous expression, wiping away any remnant of her blood from his face. Riley tried her best to remain unperturbed, but the fear was beginning to seep through her determination. And they knew it. With a grunt, he raised his foot and planted it directly in the middle of her chest, earning a scream from their prisoner.

* * *

 

Wrench was taken to the 16th street station. They'd forced the mask off his face in transit and had him blindfolded, but as soon as they sat him down in the metal, foldable chair and took off the cloth around his eyes, he recognized the small room. Hell, some of the graffiti that littered the wall was his own stuff from years back. San Francisco was his home. Did they really think they could bring him somewhere he wouldn't recognize? What a joke.

One of the agents set up a video camera across from him, and another took off the cuffs holding his wrists behind his back. A part of him thought about making a run for it—the door was right there, after all—but he wouldn't get far. They'd locked the door and he didn't want to leave without his mask. Of which, the smartly dressed agent that entered the room next was holding.

So instead of sprinting out of there like he was itching to do, Wrench stayed put, sitting as casually and comfortably as he could given the situation. Having people around he didn't trust or like without his mask on was making him nervous. He didn't like being in a state where he could be recognized. He didn't like people knowing who he was, and just what he was. He could almost feel the birthmark above his eye burning, marking him as a freak to these people.

The federal agent who was dressed in his suit studied the mask with fake interest, turning it back and forth to really get a good look. Wrench's hands clenched, but otherwise he showed no other outward display of irritation.

"This like a…Roy Orbison thing or something?" He finally asked, pointing to Wrench's mask while pacing slowly back and forth. The man's shoes clicked softly on the concrete. Wrench didn't bother responding, keeping his head down and staring up at him through his lashes.

It seemed the agent hadn't expected a response, because he continued on anyway. "You see, my dad told me that Roy wore those glasses to get over his incredible stage fright." While he spoke, the agent walked slowly around the chair they'd placed the hacker in, as if he hadn't a care in the world. Perhaps this was just a regular Tuesday to him.

The other man, who stood next to the camera recording everything, stayed there with his arms crossed, as if he were only there because he was obligated to. Maybe he was. Like…a witness thing? Wrench didn't know. But he stared at him just as vehemently as he did the agent who had circled around to stand in front of the chair again.

"Alright. I'm gonna ask you a question. Answer 'yes,' you walk out of here a free man…with the mask." The agent said, pointing towards the door as incentive. Wrench couldn't help but look towards his potential freedom, but knew he couldn't trust this man's words. No matter what.

Instead of complying like a good suspect would, Wrench gave a tiny smirk, the corner of his lip curling upwards a fraction of an inch, and he asked, "Who the fuck is Roy Orbison?" Purposely dragging the conversation back to some pointless metaphor the agent had tried using on him. That ought to piss him off.

In fact, it did. Wrench was skilled in the art of pissing people off. A finely-tuned skillset.

"Answer 'no,'" The agent continued in a more aggressive and authoritative voice, "the mask stays off, you go to jail, and you continue to be whoever it is you don't like looking at in the mirror." He spread his hands wide, encompassing that those were his only options.

Wrench felt an anger bubbling up from that last comment, but held it in check. The agent was trying to make him angry, trying to break his composure, but the hacker wouldn't back down so easily. He wanted answers? He'd have to kill him for them.

Wrench wondered if the team had tracked him down by now. Marcus knew he was taken, so obviously they were searching for him. Wrench had no doubts they would find him, just a matter of how long and what they'd do to these fucks afterwards. Wrench was for sure going to get some payback for this later.

The extended silence made the agent huff in annoyance, and he stepped closer to Wrench, gesturing to punctuate his point with one hand. "Here's the deal. You're a member of DedSec: fact. You've meddled in federal affairs: fact. You will be _treated_ as a _federal problem_ : fact."

Wrench's eyes never wandered from the mask in his other hand even as he continued in a matter-of-fact tone, satisfied that he was successfully chipping away at Wrench's confidence.

"Now, you see, all these things put together give me a bunch of different options. You're an enemy combatant! Which means _rendition_." He reasoned, turning to Wrench to make sure he still had his attention. "Gitmo if I get cranky."

The hacker was barely able to hold back the eye roll. Was that supposed to be intimidating? Wrench wasn't scared of this fucker. Hell, there weren't many people that scared him. And some high-and-mighty FBI agent wasn't one of them.

"Unless…" he concluded, rounding on him again and leaned casually with his hip cocked. The man paused, and Wrench finally looked up at him.

"Unless what?" He prompted, deciding it would do him some good to feed the agent's ego a bit. Let him think he was getting somewhere.

"Unless you help me get into DedSec." He concluded, and this time Wrench didn't even try holding back his incredulous eye roll. "Get me their zero days, get me the scoop on the whole gang. _You_ are my way in."

Did he really think Wrench would give up the group just to avoid jail time? Really? That was almost more insulting than the comment about who he saw in the mirror earlier. DedSec was more important to him than anything in the world. Marcus, Sitara, Josh…Riley. They were his family and Wrench figured he'd had enough of this pompous asshole thinking he had some sort of leverage over him.

Shit, Riley! They hadn't taken her, had they? There was no mention of a second suspect so far, and he hadn't seen any sign of her. They only appeared to be interested in Wrench. Hopefully she'd been left alone. He didn't want her in danger like this. Once he was out of here, he'd check to be sure, but for now…

Casually lifting a hand to his cheek, Wrench scratched it with his middle finger, making his intentions clear to this guy. The agent shook his head and looked like he was about ready to start wringing his neck. Ha! What a fuckwit. He could kiss Wrench's ass for all he cared.

The man's phone vibrated and he walked away. "Goddammit…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Wrench saw him put the mask on one of the crates to his left, before rounding off at him again. There was a desperation and barely constrained anger in his voice now. A sound Wrench enjoyed having caused.

"Alright, look. _I_ am an act of _God_. Get me something, _point_ me in the right direction. Names! Addresses! Because I swear to God…you _want_ me on your side!" The man spit, pointing at him venomously. Wrench was unperturbed, glaring silently from the corner of his eye.

A sudden knock on the door made both men look at where the disturbance had come. Wrench narrowed his eyes, as someone walked through just as the agent went to see who it was. The agent stood to stop him. "You can't just-"

"Heel!" The man shouted, and Wrench finally recognized him. Eyes widening in surprise and outrage, Wrench watched as Dušan sauntered his way across the room, regarding the hacker with his hands on his hips. The agent, obviously pissed, tried collecting himself over in the corner. He still had Wrench's mask.

Dušan came closer, shaking his head slowly. "I told him you were gonna be a waste of his time." The agent was angered by those words.

"You're jeopardizing the investigation. You have no standing here! None!"

"Go ahead," Dušan turned towards the agent confidently, "Call your boss. Call Chief Agent Monroe…Call her _NOW_."

Wrench watched from his seat as both men silently measured each other up, determining which one had the higher standing and ultimately it was Dušan. He jerked his chin, daring the agent to say or do something to the contrary, but the man only sighed and walked off to the back of the room again.

Wrench stayed silent, trying to glean as much information from this interaction as he could. Dušan and the FBI might be trying to interrogate him, but Wrench wasn't going to sit back and do nothing. He'd find out as much as he could in hopes of using their own words against them.

Wrench's attention was forced forward as Dušan crouched before the chair. "What the hell is up with Marcus?" He asked, almost in a genuine tone of concern. Wrench wasn't buying it, but damn was he a good actor for almost pulling it off. "I mean, he's a nice guy…" Dušan shrugged, "he's misguided, but c'mon. He can't protect you from what's coming."

Wrench didn't bother answering, but listened closely to his words.

"The FBI," he continued, gesturing at the agent behind him, "is gonna make an example out of him. I mean, it's kinda…what they do." He finished slowly. As if he were only telling him this to help Wrench. Like this was some big favor.

"It's too bad…but you." He pointed towards the hacker for emphasis. "You have a decision." His hands came up, lifting one and then the other to display his point. "You can decide to be onboard the ride, or just get run over by it."

Unable to keep his mouth shut, the agent stepped forward, pointing at Wrench accusingly. The hacker glared up at him. "You're rendering everything we've got against this guy inadmissible."

Dušan took on an expression of annoyance, lifting a hand in apology towards Wrench. "Excuse me." He rose from his crouch, finally turning back towards the agent. "Because agent Fuentes is having a really hard time seeing the long term."

They walked away from each other again, and Wrench watched carefully. Obviously the FBI weren't exactly happy to be working with Dušan, so there must be some sort of benefit they both received for working together. One great enough to see past the differences in goals.

"So you're free to go." Dušan said suddenly, and Wrench looked quickly up at him. Did he hear him correctly? He can just leave? What? The man spread his hands wide with an unconcerned shrug. "Tell your friends about the deal. If they want to be off the FBI's radar, they just gotta come see me."

Agent Fuentes cleared his throat.

"Yes, me!" Dušan said again with heat, glaring at the agent out of the corner of his eye. It seemed everyone was tired of his input. "Or else…things aren't gonna be pretty."

Wrench took that as his cue to leave, and reached over towards the mask that sat on the crate. Before he could grab it, Dušan stopped him with a hand.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…See, I think it's time you saw the world through your own eyes, like a big boy. And let the world see you for what you really are." Wrench slowly retracted his hand, internally fuming at the comment. Who the hell did he think he was? He didn't know a damn thing about what that mask represented. Hell, he didn't know a damn thing about _Wrench._

He stood, putting as much venom as he could into his glare for Dušan, then turned to do the same to the FBI agents. Feeling the need to break something, Wrench started towards the door, daring one of them to try stopping him. At this point, who cared if they started shooting, he'd start resisting faster than they could blink.

"Escort this man out." Fuentes instructed the other agent. Wrench felt a tight grip on his elbow. "Properly!" He added, and the hand disappeared. Not bothering to look back, Wrench threw open the door and lowered his head. He didn't want anyone seeing his face.

Without the mask…well, Wrench was still Wrench but…there was no hiding what he didn't want others to know.

* * *

 

Barely able to see through the blood that was drying her eyes shut, Riley crawled slowly away from the Bratva member. The chair had long-ago broken from the abuse it had endured. Tossed around and rammed into the floor countless times until it was unable to sustain its integrity. It had broken apart, releasing her from her restraints, but at that point she couldn't have run if her life depended on it.

She'd stopped counting her injuries a while ago. After the definite broken or cracked ribs, she couldn't quite keep track of them all. The thugs had gotten a kick out of hearing her struggle to breath while they put weight on her chest for extended periods of time, hacking and crying out in pain all the while. She just wanted it to stop for a second. Just a second.

The men's amused laughter barely registered in her ears behind her, finding it funny how she tried escaping from them so pathetically. They'd stopped even asking questions awhile ago, too preoccupied with satisfying their own sick amusement. Riley no longer cared what she looked like or where she was. She just wanted out. Right now. Even if her pride was wounded. Even if she looked ridiculous and stupid as she crawled away, nearly blind and disoriented, Riley would be damned if she didn't try to get away. It was that, or die by giving up.

Feeling something small on the floor, she grabbed hold of it. By feel alone she figured it was her earpiece. Maybe one last saving grace. Turning it on with her fingernail, she let out a sigh of relief. Even if they didn't make it in time to save her, maybe DedSec could track down whoever did this to her and avenge her death. That was at least a bit reassuring.

A hand grabbed her ankle, pulling her backwards over the concrete floor. The earpiece fell from her fingertips and they pulled her out of reach. She choked out a sob of fear and pain, knowing there was only more pain to come.

* * *

 

Wrench turned his earpiece on, and Sitara immediately came on over the comm channel. " _Wrench, thank god. Are you alright?"_ Came her concerned question.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He mumbled, unable to help feeling disheartened and defeated. He'd put on a good show to the agent and Dušan, but without anyone to prove his own feelings to, he fell into the usual pit of self-pity. He _hated_ it. But he still allowed it. Pulling the hood further down over his face, he walked to the nearest bench with a tree overhanging it and sat.

 _"_ _We were able to tap into the camera feed and see what was happening. They're lucky they didn't lay a hand on you. I'm already pissed, but I'd have been ready to beat their fucking asses into oblivion if they had."_ She promised heatedly, and Wrench was inclined to believe her.

"Thanks…" He said genuinely, feeling a shot of warmth to know his friends always had his back. Speaking of friends, he remembered one in particular he wanted to check on. "Is Riley there?"

There was a brief pause of silence, and Wrench's heart sank. "Sitara?"

_"_ _Riley hasn't checked in since you were taken. We've tried calling and pinging her earpiece, but neither are turned on."_

Heart clenching in his chest, filling up with dread, Wrench was immediately on his feet and pacing the pavement under the tree. This was exactly what he'd been afraid of. "Can't you track the GPS without it being turned on?"

_"_ _On her phone, yes, but I'm not getting a single signal. They might have destroyed it. The earpiece? No. It doesn't use the same system as the phone would. It has to be turned on for us to trace it via the towers."_

"Fucking dammit!" He cried, kicking at the closest thing, which happened to be a metal trash can. This earned a few wary looks from nearby people. This was all his fault. If he had thought to double check her apartment before leaving, maybe this wouldn't have happened. "Have you narrowed down anything at all?"

 _"_ _No…"_ Sitara said miserably. _"What kind of hacker can't even track a single bluetooth earpiece!? Fuck!"_ She shouted at herself, just as frustrated as him.

"Where's Marcus?" Wrench questioned next, noticing he hadn't spoken at all during the call.

Sitara sighed, trying to calm down. All this anger wouldn't help them find Riley. _"He's going to get your mask back."_

 _"_ _There are more important things to take care of right now."_ He argued, but Sitara wasn't hearing it.

_"_ _Wrench, you know how he is. Marcus has made up his mind. We've got all our resources out looking for a way to find Riley. In the meantime, Marcus knows you need that mask. They are both important."_

Wrench felt torn. He felt naked and vulnerable—a feeling he hated too—without his mask on. Just being in public without it left him shaking on the inside. But Riley…who knew what was happening to her right now? She was in physical danger, and Wrench couldn't stand idly by while she was out there somewhere. What priority did a mask have over her?

 _"_ I'm calling Marcus." He told Sitara, before switching channels to Marcus' personal one. It only took a few seconds before he'd answered.

_"_ _Wrench?"_

"I'm here." He said.

_"_ _I'm getting your mask back."_

He shook his head. "I know. Sitara told me, but we need to be looking for Riley!"

 _"_ _We'll find her, Wrench, don't panic. Josh is on it right now. There's no one better."_ What Marcus said was true. Josh had yet to fail them when it came to things like this. Wrench trusted nobody more than him to track down their missing member. It still left him feeling unsatisfied though. He couldn't explain it.

Wrench didn't know how to respond, so Marcus continued in his silence. _"You focus on finding Riley. I'll focus on getting you your mask. At the end of the day, we'll have our team back together as they should be."_

"Thanks, Marcus." He said, disconnecting from the channel. Wrench rubbed his face with his hands, feeling antsy with no way of working off the energy. Deciding that sitting there wouldn't be productive in any way to finding Riley, Wrench looked around for the nearest parking lot to jack a car.

* * *

 

He made it back to his garage in record time, and made a beeline for his gun locker. It was where he kept his favorites, the ones he saved for special missions. And they'd finally be getting some use, by the looks of it. Face set in both determination and dread, he checked the magazines, satisfied they were still full of ammo.

What to take? There was a wide arsenal at his disposal. So many choices. He grabbed the shotgun and assault rifle. He wanted whatever could take down a man the quickest, and the shotgun would blast them away at close range. Perfect for what he wanted. Then, as an after thought, he traded the assault rifle for the sniper. He was sure it would feel even better to watch them drop like flies from a distance, too. Yeah, that sounded good.

They didn't even know where Riley was or what they'd be facing when they found her, but Wrench wasn't going in without something to cause some damage with. Maybe this was overkill. He didn't think so.

Wrench's earpiece vibrated, and he accepted the ping. "Did you find her?" He asked, unsure of who he was even talking to. But it didn't matter. The answer to the question was all that mattered.

" _Riley's earpiece just suddenly turned on. I've narrowed it down to this general location."_ Josh said, and Wrench's phone chimed in his pocket. He pulled it out, seeing a marked GPS location on his Nudle maps. It looked to be the industrial zone, right at the edge of Bratva territory. Was it really the FBI who had taken her? Wrench began to have his doubts.

"Is she ok?" He asked, knowing that Josh would have tried to get a visual on her.

 _"_ _There aren't any cameras where they've got her but…it's picking up audio."_ He finished quietly. Wrench was already in the process of grabbing extra rounds for both guns and jogging over to the motorbike he kept in the corner.

"And? What's happening?"

Instead of replying, Josh fed the transmission from Riley's earpiece into his, and Wrench was forced to hear her cries of pain. He tensed, outraged by the male laughter that it picked up in the background. And what sounded like Russian.

"Those fuckers are dead…" He muttered, reluctantly leaving the earpiece on so he could hear what was going on. "I'm bringing her back" He told Josh, revving the motorbike to life. He shot out of the garage, using the sounds of Riley's pain to push him to go faster, and fueling the fiery anger that swirled within him.

* * *

 

The motorbike coasted to a stop behind a shipping container, and Wrench killed the engine to reduce the noise. The area was surrounded by a large, chain link fence. Inside was an old steel factory, with smaller annex buildings adjacent. The Bratva liked to use places like this to hide their trafficking and drug practices. So it wasn't a surprise, really, that they'd taken Riley here.

There were a dozen or so Bratva members mingling around the area. One man stood on guard in front of the main warehouse, smoking on a cigarette casually. Another group nearby played cards over an upturned crate. Everyone appeared armed with various assault rifles or pistols at their hip. Nobody seemed worried that they'd be attacked.

Well, that was their first mistake.

Wrench was unperturbed. He'd done way more dangerous shit before, even when he wasn't fully a part of DedSec yet. Those missions had only solidified his place in the group, displaying to the rest that he was willing to get shit done where others wouldn't. Besides, if he died, at least he'd have gone down swinging in the attempt to save a friend. He couldn't ask for a better death.

Staying hidden behind the shipping container, probably from some drug smuggling operation from way back or something, the hacker watched as the Russian members moved and talked. He studied their patterns, just as Riley had done at the diner. She was probably better at it than him, but he got the gist of their patrols. There weren't more than a dozen Bratva there. Piece of cake.

Wrench looked around for some sort of higher ground he could utilize the sniper with. Across the street was an old water town. That would do. Leaving the bike, he ran over to the metal ladder and started climbing up. It was rusted and sharp, weathered over the years. He made sure not to get stabbed.

There was a break in the sounds of pain from the earpiece, and lots of Russian talking in the background. So far, Riley's whimpers of pain hadn't ended the entire drive here. Wrench swallowed, hoping that didn't mean she was already dead. He'd need to hurry. There was no time.

Wrench took out his sniper and propped himself in a good position. Yes, he could see most of the area from here. And the distance was far enough that they'd have a hard time seeing him in return. Perfect.

Lining up his scope with the guard's head at the entrance of the warehouse, Wrench felt his mouth twitch upwards just before pulling the trigger. A splatter of red showered a portion of the wall behind him, and he dropped to the ground without another thought. The rest of the gang began to disperse, but Wrench was able to down two other Bratva before they had the time to take cover behind any buildings.

They were on edge now, and that made things fun. The hacker waited another minute or so, hoping for another target. One member peered around the corner of a building, trying to gauge where the shots were coming from. Wrench shook his head in amusement, 'tsk'ing as he let another shot ring out.

What a shame.

That seemed to spook the rest into staying where they were. Wrench didn't feel like he'd get any more opportunities with the sniper, so he strapped it on his back again and began descending the water tower. Time to bring things close range, he thought, dropping the ground and cocking his shotgun.

Let the anarchy begin.

* * *

 

It was so difficult to breathe. Riley couldn't tell if she were dreaming, or if she was in some weird state of half-consciousness. Was she awake? At the edge of her hearing, she could still hear the sound of speaking, but the words she didn't understand. So, they were still there. Great.

Some of the blood that had blocked her vision had finally dried, letting her open her eyes a bit more. The ceiling of the warehouse was metal paneling, and she stared up at a circular light directly above her. The light burned her eyes, but it was batter than the two Bratva that hung at the edge of her peripherals.

Several distant booms cut through the still air of the warehouse. The talking stopped, and even Riley strained to listen to what was the cause of it. Another one…then…another one after that. She was finally able to pinpoint the noise. A gun. At long range. She couldn't tell what type, but it sounded high power.

"что это?" One of the men said, and the other gestured aggressively towards the door, effectively shooing his companion towards it.

"Что ж? не просто стоять там, иди, выясни, что это такое!"

The second Bratva pushed through the door, leaving Riley with just the one who'd been beating her to this point. He stood directly over her, blocking her view of the light. He glared down at her, all business again. The amusement he'd gained from her pain before was all gone.

"Who did you call?" He asked thickly. Riley wasn't sure if she was even capable of responding, so she didn't try. Instead, she closed her eyes and allowed them a rest. She was so tired, and her limbs felt cold. The only thing that burned was her chest, and that was mostly from pain.

More gunshots, this time in a much more rapid spread, began at a much closer distance. Multiple different kinds were fired back, but always that insistent boom. It didn't stop, and whoever it was wasn't finished yet. Riley opened her eyes again, realizing its significance. Had DedSec finally found her? A spark of hope returned, and she fought to stay awake a bit longer. Oh, but how heavy her eyes felt.

She heard the cock of a gun, and peered over to see the Bratva member standing there cooly, loosely pointing a pistol at her on the floor. He watched the door with a frown, waiting for whoever came through that door. She lacked the energy to keep her eyes opened any longer, and let them close.

* * *

 

Wrench was just quick enough to bring the shotgun up to point at the Bratva who rounded the corner of the building he hid behind, shooting him point blank with the high powered buckshot. The man cried out and was sent tumbling back, the assault rifle falling from his hands to the ground.

The hacker was haphazardly splattered with the blood of those he'd killed up close, but he didn't pay it any mind. He checked his stock of shotgun shells. It was more than enough for the last two remaining members he knew of.

Wrench peeked around the corner, and didn't see either of the two remaining thugs. He cocked the shotgun, loading a new round, before standing and slowly walking out towards the warehouse. He hoped Riley would be alright until he got there. The sound of running to his right made him look over, and he saw the flash of someone running behind the building next to him. Wrench chased after him, intent on hunting all of them down.

He rounded the corner, then ducked and rolled across the ground when he saw the knife aimed in a slash at his head. Wrench recovered and blasted the man with a round in his chest. He went limp and fell against the wall of the building.

He stood, eyes searching for the last one. Where, oh where, could the Bratva be?

* * *

 

The gunshots outside slowly decreased in frequency, before a final shot rang outside, nearly right outside the warehouse. The Bratva above Riley adjusted the grip on his gun, making sure it was still secure and pointing directly at her.

The brunette fought her hardest not to pass out from exhaustion and the desire for this all to be over. A fog had settled over her eyes, and she couldn't make out distinguishable figures or shapes anymore. Whoever it was that was on their way, she hoped it was a friend, because Riley wouldn't be able to tell at this point.

The sound of a door opening close by alerted them both. The Bratva was startled, not seeing the front entrance open at all. It cost him a precious few seconds to realize there was probably a back door into the warehouse that he hadn't thought of. Riley was able to make out the Bratva turning in place quickly, before a loud and echoing gunshot pierced the air, and he dropped to the ground beside her on the floor.

"Josh, get an ambulance here now!" She heard a familiar voice yell from the end of the room, and the sound of running feet approaching her. Something heavy clattered to the ground beside her and a body leaned over her. She tried seeing exactly who it was, but she couldn't tell by looking.

A gentle hand touched her face, strangely wet with something warm. "Hey, hey! You gotta stay with me, Riley. Don't close your eyes." He said insistently, and she recognized who it was then.

"-ench." She said, her voice croaking out the last bit of his name.

"I'm here!" He said, breathlessly, trying to cradle her head in a more comfortable position. She grimaced and hissed in pain as his fingers brushed over the spot on her head that had started bleeding. "Fuck…" He whispered, immediately taking his hand away.

"-'s ok…" She whispered, stuttering out a breath to reassure him. It wasn't his fault. He hadn't known. Through her blurry vision, she noticed his voice didn't sound like it normally did. There wasn't any sort of robotic filter, and his face wasn't dark or flashing. Was he not wearing his mask? What happened to it? Oh well, it didn't matter. Her eyes were too blurry right now anyway.

She smiled a little, knowing she was in safe hands. She could let him do the rest now. He'd make sure she was ok. As the adrenaline began wearing off, her eyes started to close, but Wrench wouldn't let her.

"No, no, no…Riley, I need you to stay awake." He pleaded. "Please, keep your eyes open."

"…tired…" She muttered, sucking in as much air as she could manage given her cracked or broken ribs. Every intake of air was painful.

"I know, but not right now, ok? Just…a little longer. Stay awake a little longer. Fuck…" He muttered, then spoke in a much more frustrated and louder tone. "Josh, where is that ambulance?"

Riley couldn't hear the reply, but it was reassuring to know the others were ok, and that they'd looked for her. She really appreciated everything they did for her. With that thought in mind, the brunette couldn't help but fall further into the comfort of blissful darkness.

"Riley." Wrench said, gently patting her cheek. But her eyes wouldn't open. "Riley!" He urged a bit louder, panic setting in when she didn't respond. Was this how Marcus felt finding Horatio? Unable to do anything but sit there and watch while their friend bled into the floor? This was more than he could take.

The sound of sirens coming closer jerked his attention back to reality. As much as he wanted to stay and make sure Riley was ok, he also couldn't be found by the authorities. He was covered in blood, and was carrying a weapon. Not to mention the dozens of bodies outside he'd left in his wake. They'd only arrest him.

He could hear paramedics going through the gates at the front of the compound, shouting for back up. He couldn't stay any longer for fear of being caught. Wrench stood, going against everything he wanted to do and grabbed his rifle from the ground. Giving her another glance back, he took off towards the back door of the warehouse, silently praying to himself that she'd be alright.


	20. Visiting Hours

_Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…_

Riley's eyes fluttered, her body stiff and cold. Her first conscious thought was that whatever incessant beeping she could hear at the edge of her mind was annoying and wouldn't stop. What the hell was that?

And then she remembered. The Bratva. Where was she? Was she still in danger? As the panic and fear began to seep through, whatever noise she could hear started beeping quicker. It hurt to breathe, which only made her panic further.

"Hey now, calm down there, Riley." A deep and reassuring male voice said, and Riley felt a hand gently squeeze her shoulder. "You're gonna be alright. Just relax, kiddo."

The voice didn't have a Russian accent, and now that she thought about it, her body wasn't in active pain anymore. Well, it ached and was sore, but a strange feeling of lightness coursed through her. As the realization that she was no longer in danger settled upon her, Riley took stuttering breaths to ease her racing heart. And she finally worked up the energy and course to open her eyes.

A hospital room. The person beside her was Ray, sitting in one of those cushioned chair for patient visitors. He gave her a small nod and smiled. "The doctors didn't think you'd be up and at 'em this soon. How're you feeling?"

Riley tried to swallow and speak, but her throat was dry and parched. Her eyes wandered around the room, until she spotted a tray of what had been a meal. A plastic cup of water half full sat there, and she stared at it longingly. Ray must have noticed, because he reached over and helped her drink.

"Easy there." He said when she tried gulping more of it down than she could manage, causing her to cough painfully. Face contorting in a grimace, she reached up and gripped Ray's hand tightly, willing away the sudden pain that erupted through her chest. It was so painful. He set the cup on the table with his other hand and let her grab onto him like a vise until the pain subsided somewhat.

"It 'urts." She managed to croak out, finally registering the small tube of air inserted in her nose. Her arm was hooked up with an IV, and a small finger monitor displayed her vitals on the machine beside the bed.

"I know, kiddo. It will for awhile. Those Bratva did a number on you." Ray admitted with a darkened expression. Riley watched him with tired eyes, before slowly releasing his hand and letting hers fall back to the bed.

"What…happened?" She asked thickly. Whatever pain killers they had her on were effective, because the remnant pain she remembered enduring form the Russian gang members was almost entirely gone. How long had she been in the hospital. "How long-" She tried to ask, unable to form the other words.

Thankfully, Ray knew what she was asking. "You've been resting for about four days now. Suffered quite a few injuries, don't know if you'd want to hear them…" But Riley nodded that she did, so he continued on. "Well, two ribs were bruised, another two cracked, and the doc thinks you broke your wrist. You've got a nasty fractured skull, and a few stitches back there too. That's not counting the bruising all over your body."

Her eyes skimmed the exposed skin she could see, spotting numerous yellow and purple bruises. Her left wrist was also wrapped in a hardened cast, and she couldn't move it around much. They all hurt just looking at, so she returned her gaze back to Ray.

"After Wrench killed all the Bratva to get to you, Josh made sure the ambulance found you." He said with a shrug. "You were barely holding on by the sound of it, but they were able to stabilize you yesterday. It was touch and go for a bit though. Gave us all a scare."

"Sorry…" She muttered, but Ray waved it away.

"What have you got to say sorry about? And don't worry about any Bratva fuckers coming around to finish the job, either. Josh has all known Bratva members flagged in the system, so if they try to check in as a visitor, the police will be called. Plus, you've got me here watching over you." He gestured to himself, smiling with pride.

Riley cracked a tiny twitch of her mouth, and blinked slowly. "How long…have…you been here?" It was getting easier to speak as time went by. That water really helped a lot.

"Since you were admitted." He sent a glance behind him, then leaned closer to her. "If anyone asks, I'm your father, alright? We didn't want to risk anyone knowing you were DedSec, but didn't want to leave you alone either. So, just go with it, alright?"

She nodded, but something didn't quite sound right with that. "My file would show…that my dad's deceased."

"Josh has it covered." Ray said. His eye crinkled when he smiled. "They set up a fake hospital record for you. Same information and everything, but you're currently Riley Kent, alright? And that Riley has both of her parents alive."

She didn't miss the nod to Superman with the choice of last name. A part of her wondered who had chosen the fake name for her. Maybe Wrench, teasing her own real last name with this fake one. The brunette nodded, satisfied that they'd thought of everything. She relaxed back into the bed.

Ray shifted in the seat to get comfier, but sighed hesitantly. "Riley, I know you probably don't wanna talk about it right now but…is there anything you can tell me about the attack? Anything that explains what they were after? It wasn't hard to figure out why the FBI took Wrench, but we couldn't-"

"FBI?" She asked in alarm, a new panic setting in. Ray rushed to clarify, spotting the newfound fear in her eyes.

"Woah, easy! We were wondering if you were aware of that…Anyway, just before you were taken, Wrench was…escorted away by the FBI. They didn't hurt him," he looked her way pointedly, and she didn't feel quite as afraid of the rest of the explanation, "just asked him a bunch of questions about DedSec. Wanted names and locations, things like that."

"Is he ok?" She asked, just to be sure.

"A little shaken up maybe but he was alright enough to go in guns blazing to rescue you, so I'd say he's fine. Boy was angry as hell, though." Ray shrugged. "But back to the matter at hand. Did they say or do anything that pointed towards a motive?"

Riley didn't have to think too hard about the answer, clearly remembering the entire thing. "They wanted information about my investigation." She stared up at Ray. "I don't know how they would have even known I was a journalist…I made sure to keep it off of my file, and I don't show my badge to anyone I don't trust."

"Hmm…strange indeed." He said, taking on a thoughtful expression. "We'll need to try getting into the Bratva's data and see what we can pull."

Riley remembered something else. "They took a phone call from someone—I don't know who, they didn't say—but one of the Bratva said something like…they were payed to do the job so they'll get it done. I think…I just remember him saying they were payed."

"That raises some red flags. Someone's out there utilizing the gangs for their own vendetta." Ray surmised, looking off to the side with worry. Riley nodded her agreement silently, wincing when the action caused her neck to strain uncomfortably.

Ray sat in silence, pondering his own thoughts, before remembering where he was. "Well, let us worry about that for the time being." He said confidently, reaching for the water cup and offering it to her again. She took it greedily.

"And, you'd better have this, too." He reached in his back pocket and produced a cell phone. Riley realized she had no idea where her's was. Probably long gone with no chance of finding it. Maybe destroyed or crushed. The Bratva had confiscated it before she woke from the chloroform.

"It's got all of our phone numbers in here in case you need to get ahold of us." He said, holding it out for her to take.

Riley took the phone and turned it on. The lock screen was a picture of the gang, all gathered around Sitara who was in the middle, flashing peace signs and smiling brightly. Sitara had her face smooshed up against Marcus', while Josh was a bit distant from them, smiling normally. Wrench stood in the middle right behind Sitara, his arms crossed and displaying his winking expression. Riley felt a surge of warmth for the DedSec team, both for saving her life, and for the support they continued to show now.

"Thanks." She said simply, looking back up to Ray. He nodded, finally standing from his chair.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, it's been several hours since I last ate. I think I'll grab something from the cafeteria. Think you'll be ok?"

Riley nodded, smile still in place. Thanks to Josh's hard work, she wasn't afraid of having to watch her back while in the hospital. Even without Ray keeping an eye on her, she felt safe.

He opened the door to her room and disappeared into the hall. It shut behind him, and she took some time to inspect her surroundings. There was a tv mounted on the wall directly across from her, but it was currently turned off. On the wall beside that was her medical board. Her name—fake name—was written in marker at the top, along with the attending physician and nurses on staff. They had written her treatment plan and what type of painkillers they had her on. Morphine, huh? The brunette raised a brow. No wonder she couldn't feel anything.

Sitting on the chair beside where Ray had been sitting was a bag. She didn't recognize it, but figured it was Ray's. There wasn't much else of interest. It was just a typical hospital room, after all. Getting bored, she turned the phone back on and stared at the lock screen. It was a four digit pin to unlock it, but she hadn't a clue what it was. More out of curiosity than anything, she entered her old phone's pin and chuckled to herself when it unlocked the screen. Of course, they were hackers after all. What more had she expected?

The home screen displayed the same picture as the lock screen, and she navigated to the list of contacts. It consisted only of DedSec members, and her boss' phone number. They must have figured she'd need that one too. They certainly thought of everything.

One look at the email confirmed that they'd linked it to her own personal address, so she could check it while in the hospital. There were several spam messages which she forwarded to junk, and two from ProviBlue. Closing her eyes with a sigh, Riley realized she'd missed her 'appointment' with the IT director to 'update her file.' She wondered what sort of repercussions would come about because of it.

Her question was answered by the second email, which detailed that she was to report immediately into work to discuss her continued employment there. Great. Just what she needed. Based on what Ray had said, she'd missed several days of work without calling in or explaining why she hadn't shown up. Plus, the suspicious timing of the file update was sure to make them wary. Just great.

Now wasn't the time to worry about that, though. She had to recover first, then she could worry about her work later. Before she did anything else, though, Riley opened up Wrench's contact and started a message.

**I just heard what happened to you. The whole FBI thing…are you alright?**

She sent the message through and closed her eyes in wait. Wrench was always prompt with his responses, a trait about him she appreciated greatly. She listened to the sounds of the annoying beeping from her monitoring machine for a time, before even that became mind numbing. The tv remote sat on the small side table installed into the bed, and she turned on the screen to see what was showing.

There were several news stations, countless soap opera channels that she gagged at, and a few showing documentaries. One was on ancient technology, which sounded mildly interesting, so she flipped to that and set the remote aside again.

The phone vibrated in her lap, and she reached down for it.

_I'm fine. What about you?_

**Stiff and sore, and very bruised. But I'll live. :)**

There were several minutes of uncharacteristic silence from Wrench. All of DedSec were obviously glued to their phones, never without them. Was he really alright? It took several minutes before he replied.

_I'm sorry, I should have gotten there sooner. I should have stuck around a little longer to make sure you were ok. Fuck, I should have known you were in danger._

His words dripped with guilt, which Riley didn't understand the cause of. What did he have to be sorry for?

**What are you apologizing for? I don't blame you for anything. Besides, you had your own problems to worry about at the time.**

_You got hurt, Riley._

As if that was supposed to make a difference. Riley shook her head. How could he put that blame on himself? It was the Bratva who'd beaten her, not him. In RIley's eyes, there wasn't anything he could have done differently to have prevented what happened. This was of no fault to him.

**Wrench, you saved my life. I'm forever grateful for that. Please don't blame yourself.**

She stared at the message window, but after ten minutes, Wrench still hadn't replied. Perhaps he didn't know what to say. Or maybe he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Riley couldn't tell. Still, she wouldn't give up that easily.

**Visiting hours end at 8 today if you wanted to come by. It would be nice to see you. Plus, you can tell me how bad my face really is. I think everyone is just trying to be nice by saying it isn't that bad. They won't give me a mirror. :)**

She thought that maybe humor would cheer him up a bit, or encourage him to respond in kind. She missed their friendly and slightly flirtatious banter. It was the highlight of most of her days, talking to him.

_If they see my mask they'll connect you to DedSec eventually. It might cause another FBI incident if they know you're being treated there._

It made sense. This way, Riley was just another patient at the hospital. Granted, admitted under strange circumstances, but attacks like this weren't unheard of. Hell, this was San Francisco. Who knows what sort of messed up shit these doctors and nurses have seen before?

Still, the realization that she wouldn't be able to see Wrench until she was released hurt a little. Not counting her romantic feelings she harbored for him, he was still her best friend. Logically, she knew that his mask was important to him, that he would show her his face in his own time, at his own pace. Emotionally, though, Riley just wished he would come see her. Mask be damned.

But she'd never tell him that. Surely that would be overstepping the unspoken boundaries that existed between them.

Riley started and then erased several versions of what she wanted to say. How could she phrase it in a way that she understood but would appreciate if he came by? All while not sounding like a spoiled brat or entitled jerk?

In the end, after giving up on several different possible messages, Riley typed out her quick reply and looked up when there was a knock on her door. The doctor smiled and hesitated by the door.

"May I come in?" He asked, and she nodded, placing the phone on the side table. He approached her bedside, carrying a tablet. "You're quite a trooper, young lady. We didn't expect you to be awake for another day or two."

"Well," Riley said, watching as a nurse also entered with a fresh bag to attach to her IV, "I've always been impatient."

The doctor chuckled and nodded. "Well, let's take a few measurements and make sure you're feeling as you should be. Have you noticed any unusual pains or persistent aches that you wouldn't expect?"

The doctor went through a long list of questions and quick clinical tests to make sure Riley wasn't suffering from some unseen problem, before he gave her a mostly-clean bill of health, given the extent of her injuries. Riley began to notice that the pain was beginning to get worse, no doubt as the painkillers wore off.

The doctor seemed to notice her discomfort. "How about we put you on something that'll help you sleep a bit more?"

Riley nodded gratefully, and he returned a few minutes later with a clear liquid that they included on the IV stand. It was much smaller and dripped at a slower pace than the regular fluids. The nurse provided another blanket when she mentioned it was a bit cold, but after that they dimmed the lights and allowed her to have her rest.

Riley watched the documentary for a bit longer, slowly feeling her eyes droop until they shut entirely.

* * *

 

Wrench was stretched out on his bed, staring up at his phone screen. He'd been cooped up there for the past few days. He'd tried staying at the hackerspace after his conversation with the FBI, mingling with the other members, but they were all too concerned about focusing on the next video, and he couldn't stand it. Sitara had questioned him about his lack of motivation, but he'd just said he was shaken up by the kidnapping.

In reality, he felt overwhelmed by the guilt weighing on him and was too distracted. He'd allowed Riley to get hurt like that. He'd been right there when it had apparently happened. If he'd have known…

Unable to focus on whatever task he was trying to complete, Wrench had told Marcus he'd be home until he could get his head back on straight. Marcus had given him a knowing expression, but only nodded in understanding. It was uncanny how Marcus just seemed to _know_ what Wrench was thinking. Especially when it came to Riley.

So here he was, being a lazy shit, and rereading a text message for the zillionth time.

_Ok, I understand. Hopefully I'll get released soon then, so I can see you again._

He still couldn't wrap his head around it. Not what it said, but what it didn't say.

Not once. Not _one_ single time had Riley asked him to take off his mask, he'd realized, during the entire time she'd been a part of DedSec. Why was that? Did she not care? That didn't seem like her. Since they met, he'd caught her glancing his way, eyes skirting over the mask with interest. There wasn't any way she wasn't at least curious.

Then what was it?

It hadn't even dawned on him until he'd been holding her broken and beaten body in his arms, and she looked up at him through half-shut eyes that he realized she'd never even mentioned him taking off his mask. Every other girl he'd met, through DedSec and outside of it, had always asked almost immediately. Or, if not, demanded at some point within a week that he do so for their own various reasons. It was half the reason his pursuits of a relationship failed, simply because he wouldn't take off the mask to those he didn't altogether know or trust. They just couldn't see that.

It wasn't a personal image thing, like some accused him of. The FBI agent had assumed he didn't like looking at himself in the mirror, and to an extent that was true. It reminded him of who he'd been, and who he was now. He was the same person with and without the mask, despite the difference in personality, but that always seemed to push people away.

He was Wrench regardless. It shouldn't matter what he looked like underneath all the spikes. How was that difficult to understand? But Riley seemed to be…different.

Riley had always treated him just like the others, perhaps spending more of her time with him than, say, Sitara, or Marcus. But did that mean anything? Was it out of opportunity, or choice? Wrench had to admit he was selfish when it came to Riley. He wanted to spend as much time with her as she'd allow him to, stealing her time away from the other members of DedSec.

Did that interested go deeper than the mask, or was he just a symbol for what she wanted in a friend or…more? Wrench sighed. He didn't know what to do. What to think. He wanted to see Riley, for sure. But without the mask…?

Marcus had returned it to him the day they'd found Riley. But he couldn't wear it to the hospital. It would alert the staff, and may bring the FBI right back into the mix. For now, they needed to keep Riley under a low profile. Even still…

He clenched his free hand and held it up to his head. He didn't know the right answer. He wanted to see Riley. He wanted to keep his face hidden. He supposed the only question left was which priority was of greater value to him.

* * *

 

Riley wasn't quite sure how long she'd been asleep. For all she could have known, a whole other day could have gone by and she would be none the wiser. She slowly stirred from sleep, shifting her head so it didn't lean so heavily onto the stitches at the back.

Hey eyes opened to see a figure sitting in the chair beside her bed. They were facing the tv on the wall. She trailed her gaze down his arms that were crossed over his chest comfortably, admiring the tattoos that she half expected were hand drawn on his skin. Or, at the very least, intentionally made to look that way. She'd always thought they were interesting, and wondered the meaning behind each one.

The black hood covering his head coupled with the angle he was facing prevented her from seeing him directly. All she knew was that his head was slightly upturned, no doubt watching whatever new documentary was now playing on the screen across from him.

"Hi." She said meekly, feeling parched again. She needed some more water.

Riley watched as Wrench tensed, then lowered his head. "Hey." He said, still facing forward.

"I wasn't expecting you to come. Otherwise I'd have tried waking up earlier." She said, smiling despite herself. He'd actually come to visit her.

"Don't worry about it." He said quietly, turning his face down some more. Some of RIley's happiness faded, and she examined him carefully. This was not at all the Wrench she was used to. Was he alright? Maybe he still blamed himself for her injuries, but she couldn't have blamed him even if she tried. There was nothing he could have done.

There was a long pause, before he asked, "How are you feeling?"

Riley shrugged, watching the back of his head curiously. "I've been better, but at least I can't feel a whole lot of it. They've pumped me so full of painkillers, I feel kind of loopy to be honest." And it was true. That light-headedness hadn't gone away. Her whole body felt light as a feather.

Wrench let out a single, amused huff. Maybe it was all he could manage. She assumed just sitting there with her while his mask wasn't on was causing him anxiety. The brunette didn't know how to make it easier on him, so she reached over and gently touched the elbow positioned closest to her.

"Thanks for saving me back there. I know I said it before but, I didn't feel like a text message was appropriate enough." She shrugged, glad he hadn't tensed when she touched him. In fact, he moved one hand to cover hers, keeping it there.

To her disappointment, he slowly shook his head. "I should have known they-"

"Please stop." She asked, squeezing his arm insistently. He turned his head ever so slightly in her direction, enough to show the tip of his nose through the hood and nothing more. "I don't blame you for any of this happening. So you shouldn't either. It kills me that you are beating yourself up over this."

"…" He grew silent, but didn't move to make her release his arm. Perhaps unconsciously, his thumb slowly drew circles into the back of her hand. It felt nice, and she hoped he'd keep doing it.

"Wrench." She said softly, smiling sadly. He didn't turn to look at her, but she could still tell her was listening. "What are you so afraid of?" She asked after some time, finally putting it there in the open. It wasn't exactly asking him about the mask directly, but she hoped her intent was still clear.

He sighed, and remained silent for a long time. Riley almost thought he wasn't going to answer, but he finally squeezed her hand with his and held it tightly. "That you'll see me as someone else without the mask. That…you'll pity me or something. Or treat me any different than you already do."

"What makes you think I would?" She asked, concerned that she gave off a judgmental or flappable impression.

Wrench shrugged. "It's happened before."

Riley frowned, discouraged. "Have the others seen you without it on?"

"Yeah." He admitted. Of course, there had come scenarios where he was forced to remove it around them. Not to mention, he'd been following DedSec for a long time now, and he trusted the people he worked with. He'd had a much longer time to get to know them and let them get to know him. Whereas with Riley, they'd barely met each other a month ago.

Was it too soon? He asked himself, knowing he already had an answer that he was afraid to act upon.

Riley cast her gaze downwards, hoping her next question wouldn't turn out to be a mistake. "Am I any different than the others?

There. It was out there now. Riley hoped he wouldn't just walk out and leave. He had every right to, and she wouldn't think ill of him for it. Wrench's face was his own privacy and she could respect that. But she so hoped he'd grown to trust her enough to see him for…him.

"No." He eventually said, and she perked up. The hacker straightened in the chair and seemed to steel himself. Riley watched in fascination as he turned towards her. She took in the large nose that had definitely been broken at least once before, those steely blue-gray eyes that dropped from her own gaze when she looked at him, and the red, blotched birthmark right next to his right eye.

Riley didn't find it offensive, or detracting from his natural charm. And if he was afraid she'd pity him for a mark he couldn't have prevented or changed, well, he severely underestimated her. She'd always found pity to be unwanted, and so tried her best to avoid feeling that way. His eyes were still downcast, and Riley reached over and gently traced the mark with her thumb. Wrench's lips tightened, but otherwise allowed her to look as she wished.

For someone so humorous and lighthearted all the time, he sure looked downtrodden. Was it all because of the FBI thing? Or was something else on his mind? Maybe the maskless Wrench just had a whole lot more to hide than the masked one. Strange how those things worked.

"You know what I see?" Riley smiled a little wider, lifting his chin up with one finger. He finally dragged his gaze up into her own eyes, and she nearly melted at the sight of those piercing blue-grays. They really were beautiful. Much more so, in her opinion, than her average hazel ones.

Silently, he shook his head. No, he didn't know what she saw, and he was terrified it was everything she didn't want to see.

"You're one crazy guy for doing half the things you do. I don't know how you've survived as long as you have, honestly. And don't think I couldn't tell who picked my last name for my hospital identity." She gave him a knowing look.

Riley was awarded with a tiny twitch of his mouth, and he shrugged a little. He was glad she'd noticed and appreciated that fine touch. He'd felt rather creative and clever for having come up with it.

Her smile was disarming. "But I also see the man who has done so much for me without asking anything in return, who took me to a junkyard to smash random shit to pieces until I felt better, who took me on that insanely crazy but awesome mission. And," Riley let her finger trail along his jawline, trying to soothe him, "the one who risked his own life to save mine."

Wrench let his head turn to the side, unable to meet her gaze while she listed off those things. No one had described him in that sort of way before. It was always either how much shit he could get done or how much of a freak he was. Riley's take was…new. And refreshing. And…just what he needed to hear, when he really thought about it.

Wrench glanced up at her, and found his eyes unable to look away from her lips. They were chapped and one side was still healing from a split, but even so, he wondered what it would feel like to just…Hell, he shouldn't be thinking about this. It physically hurt somewhere in his chest to resist leaning forward and kissing them, and he narrowed his eyes in an attempt to stop himself from actually following through. He felt like now wasn't the time or place. She was still recovering from her torture, and here he was, some asshole thinking about stuff like that. But…fuck, this wasn't easy.

Riley was struggling with her own internal thoughts. She'd said all these nice things about Wrench that she had been feeling for awhile, and all she wanted to do was confess what she felt to him. Maybe the moment was just romantic enough to warrant that? No, no…this was a big step for Wrench, she couldn't ruin it or overshadow its meaning. She wanted things to go at his pace, to let them go with what he wanted. She wasn't even sure he reciprocated her feelings.

But damn was it difficult not to give into her desire to kiss him finally. They weren't too far apart, the space between the bed and his chair. She'd been thinking about it for a long time. He seemed distracted by something, eyes not as sad as they had been before, which was a good sign. Building up her courage, Riley swallowed thickly.

"Wrench, I-"

"I really-"

They both said at the same time, and stopped to let the other talk. Instead, they both stared at each other, waiting for the other to start first. And as a result, nobody took the initiative. But both Riley and Wrench couldn't seem to look away from each other.

She was cut off by a knock on the door to her room. Both hackers were startled by the intrusion, seeing a nurse pop her head in curiously. "Everything alright? Just wanted to check in on you, make sure everything was fine."

The nurse nodded over to the monitoring machine, which neither of them had noticed had started beeping faster as her heart sped up. Trying to hide the blush, Riley nodded quickly, and Wrench turned his face away so the nurse couldn't see him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Thanks, though." Riley stuttered out, attempting to straighten out the blanket even though it wasn't messed up. Wrench stood up hastily from his chair as the nurse entered and came closer to the bed.

"I should…uh, go." He said awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Just text me if you want to talk, ok?"

Despite his desire to leave so suddenly, Riley was more distracted by her own thoughts to give it much attention. "Oh, sure. I'll see you later?" The brunette asked uncertainly, but she smiled in relief when he nodded a confirmation.

"Alright…see ya." And with that, he'd reached the door and closed on his way out. The nurse chuckled to herself, before gathering up the empty tray of food that Ray must have left behind. "Your boyfriend is a bit shy, isn't he?"

If her cheeks hadn't been red before, they definitely were now. He's…he's not…my boyfriend." Was her unconvincing answer.

"Mhmm." She raised a dubious brow heading off towards the door with the tray in hand. The nurse flashed her a motherly and understanding grin. "Well, if that wasn't romantic tension I walked in on earlier then I don't know what is. I saw the way you were looking at him. If he's not your boyfriend yet, what are you waiting for, sweetie?"

Riley didn't even get a chance to explain herself before she was left alone in her room once more. She fell back against the bed and huffed out as deep a sigh as she could manage. A smile she couldn't get rid of grew wide on her lips.

* * *

 

Wrench tried keeping his head low as he exited the hospital, hands stuffed securely in his pockets. He'd shown up and sent Ray off to take care of some stuff, giving him some alone time with Riley, but now that he was leaving, he wanted to be sure she was still watched over. He shot a quick text to Ray, explaining that he was leaving and someone else should replace him to watch her.

He bumped shoulders with someone as he traversed the sidewalk, eyes on the screen of his phone. "Sorry, man." He said automatically, barely giving a glance to the person he'd run into. Typing the last few words, Wrench sent the message and disappeared down an alley, where he'd parked his bike.

* * *

 

The stranger stared after the man he'd run into, stunned by disbelief. It had been years, but…that birthmark was unmistakable, and he looked to be about the appropriate age, too. Too late, he tried following after the man he swore he recognized, brushing past other people on the sidewalk, but there was no sign of where the hooded man had gone.

The sound of a bike starting up caught his attention, and the man in question, now with an LED mask covering his face and a spiked vest over his hoodie, turned down the road and revved the engine, shooting away before he could get a clear look at him.

It was only a split second of seeing the birthmark, but he was sure. There was no question. They'd finally found him.


	21. Homebound and Hungry

Riley quickly grew bored of being in the hospital after a week. She was pumped full of painkillers a majority of the time, which both made her tired and feel strangely lighter than usual. It was a strange experience she couldn't begin to describe. At least it kept her from feeling most of the pain that she'd otherwise have to endure.

The bruises had all healed, but there were still some marks left to fade. The stitches on the back of her head would be able to be taken out soon, much to her relief. She'd had to sleep carefully and not put too much pressure on her skull. The cracked ribs and broken wrist would still take several weeks to heal, so she'd have to avoid straining herself or moving around too much.

The worst part was having nothing to do though. She'd watched through all of the movies the hospital had available to patients, and Riley began to miss her collection of movies at home. These were nothing like her favorites.

Plus, the hospital food was good, but nothing beat her favorite Chinese food place. She was craving some teriyaki noodles, and no matter how much she begged, the nurses wouldn't let her order any. Apparently, she had to be on a strict diet to help her recover faster. Whatever the hell that meant. Her soul was dying and Chinese food was the only medicine that could help her.

After her second day in the hospital, Riley had thought to call up ProviBlue and explain what happened. The supervisor didn't sound like she believed the story, especially when Riley couldn't provide a police report or other proof that it even occurred. They still insisted she come in and discuss her continued employment there as soon as she was released from the hospital.

She toyed with the thought of calling Bill to let him know as well, but it might only give him more incentive to pull her out of San Francisco sooner. She wanted more time to decide. Well, at this point she'd already decided to stay, but…well, she needed to take the necessary steps to secure her apartment and a new place of work. She didn't want to say anything to the others at this point, because jinxing it now wouldn't do any good.

After almost dying, she'd spent a lot of time wondering about her standing in life and if she were truly happy doing what she wanted to do. She'd always thought that pursuing journalism would allow her to fight against the injustice Riley so hated. But…it seemed like the profession itself wasn't as cracked up as she thought it would be. She'd been working at the company for a few years now, and she had yet to make any sort of dent.

In the short month or so she'd joined with DedSec, they'd accomplished so much, learned so much, and Riley had found herself a handful of great friends. Something she hadn't expected. But a welcome surprise. And…well, Riley had no idea how Wrench felt about it but, there seemed a possibility of discovering something more than just friends in him. The tension the nurse had identified when she'd interrupted had been there. Did Wrench feel it too?

One could only hope.

The gang had each dropped in one by one as the week dragged by, giving her company. Ray was still a constant companion, but they were convinced the Bratva wouldn't try to attack her in the hospital after wrecking several of their smuggling operations, forcing them to go back underground and recoup their losses. So, it wasn't unusual that Ray would be gone most of the day only to check up on her later that night.

Riley appreciated this. It wasn't like she was ungrateful for him keeping a watch on her, but she also enjoyed some time to herself. Having someone constantly hovering at her bedside could start to feel exhausting and uncomfortable.

Wrench hadn't visited since that first time, but he still texted her when he wanted to talk. It seemed he was in better spirits than before, because his joking nature had returned, as well as his enthusiasm for destroying things. She liked to keep the more unique and random texts he'd send her way, and read them over when she was bored.

_How awkward do you think it must be for a sex-toy maker to go to Career day at their kid's school?_

_I just had the best idea for a weapon. A pistol shaped like a dildo, so that way people won't even be expecting an attack!_

_Or a cat. I haven't decided yet._

_I hacked into that FBI fuck's facebook account, and he's now come out as a closet furry._

Riley smiled, glad he was getting back to his old self. She'd missed the happy-go-lucky Wrench that she'd known this whole time. But…a part of her was just as thrilled to know the vulnerable and shy Wrench that he'd introduced her to when he came to visit. She found him more…human that way. And his eyes were definitely something to love…She thought back to them, how piercing they could be…

And the sadness they held…Riley wanted to somehow get rid of that sadness and guilt. Any way she could.

The day finally came around when the hospital marked her well enough for discharge. Riley had sighed in relief, and the nurse chuckled. "Eager to be out, are you?" She'd asked, taking her vitals to double check her condition.

"As much as I've appreciated you guys taking care of me, I also really don't ever want to see you again." Riley said, shrugging to indicate she meant no offense.

"Aww, and here I thought you'd never want to leave." The nurse said, waving her words away. "I understand. I'm sure most people don't want to see us on a regular basis." Then, her smile took on a mischievous tilt. "How's your man?"

Riley blushed, but shook her head. "I've told you, he's not my man."

"Mhmm, so you say." She had yet to convince the nurse that Wrench was, in fact, not her boyfriend. No matter what Riley said, the older woman would only shake her head and laugh. "Deny it all you want. I may be old, but I'm not stupid. I saw you two looking at each other. That there is attraction, Riley."

The brunette sighed, holding her arm out so she could take her blood pressure. How bad was it really to admit she did like Wrench? I mean, this nurse wouldn't ever see her again anyway, and it might feel better to at least tell somebody, no matter how much of a stranger they may be.

"He's not my boyfriend…but I do like him." She said quietly, and the nurse jerked her head up with a smile.

"See? That wasn't so hard." She looked rather smug as she pumped the armband up to measure her pressure. Riley bared the constricting pain from the band without much trouble. "So, when are you gonna tell him?"

"I, uh…I don't know." She answered honestly, happy when the band was finally taken off of her arm. There was a phantom sensation of being squeezed after it was released. "I don't know if he feels the same way."

"Ah, hell, don't let that stop you." The nurse said, straightening up and coming closer with a stethoscope. "What does it matter if he feels the same or not? Either it gets you two together, or you can start looking somewhere else."

Riley knew the nurse was right. She should woman up and just tell Wrench what she felt about him, but it was anxiety-inducing. Especially because she cherished Wrench's friendship so much. Wasn't it better to have some sort of relationship with him than to have nothing at all, even if it was simply a close friendship?

"Besides," she continued, finishing up her examination and putting her equipment away, "there isn't any way he doesn't think of you in the same way."

"How do you know?"

The nurse smiled motherly. "Oh, I've been around the block a few times, Riley. When you get to be as old as me, you just know. You go to that boy and you tell him. If he tells you no, I'll owe you some of that Chinese food you've been whining about all week."

The brunette didn't know the nurse much at all, had only a few conversation when she came in to check on her over the past week, but her kind reassurances were comforting all the same. The wisdom of those who were older than you surely was something to behold. She found herself smiling in return.

"Thanks."

* * *

 

After a mountain of paperwork to fill out, Riley walked out of the hospital and perked up when she saw Sitara leaning against a car at the entrance. When the brunette walked out of the entrance, the hacker straightened and smiled. "Your chariot awaits."

"Hey, thanks for coming to take me home." Riley said, stepping into the passenger seat as Sitara walked around to take the driver's side. The brunette was really carefully with easing herself into the passenger seat, as putting pressure on her chest of any kind sent sharp pains through it. She winced, putting on the seatbelt.

"No problem." Sitara answered, turning on the car and slowly pulling away from the curb. "Everyone's glad you're finally out of there."

"Oh, believe me, I am too." She said, smiling.

Sitara cast her a side glance, keeping her tone carefully neutral. What would her reaction be? "Wrench especially. I haven't seen him so restless before."

Riley chewed the inside of her lip, trying not to smile. She was glad to be able to see him regularly again too. "Oh really?"

"Jesus, I was half tempted just to let him break something to get all that energy out. Maybe having you back will calm him the fuck down." Which was true. Wrench had been so unfocused and all over the place while Riley was in the hospital. Marcus had even said something, offering to have him do all the ops for the time being just to get his ass out of the hackerspace. He was driving everyone insane.

"Why would having me around calm him down?" Riley asked only somewhat innocently, and Sitara looked over at her with a knowing glint in her eye.

"I don't know. Why would it?"

Riley was too embarrassed by the implication to answer, so Sitara let it slide. She was amused by her reaction, especially knowing how she felt about Wrench. Oh, how these two fools were frustrating. Just because Sitara had bet against them ending up together didn't mean she didn't want it to work out in the end. But the hacker had known Wrench for a long time, and honestly couldn't see him working up the nerve to do anything about it this time either. It had happened before, and chances were it would happen again with someone else.

The idiot had let so many other girls get away before and he hadn't learned yet.

The silence was broken by Riley's stomach grumbling between them, and they laughed. "Hospital food is not very filling." She grumped.

Sitara flashed her a grin, keeping her eyes on the road. "Yeah, we all heard how much you were dying to get some hands on Chinese food. Speaking of which, want to swing by before I take you home?"

"God, yes please." Riley begged, clasping her hands together pleadingly. "I would love you forever if we did."

"Say no more." Sitara took a left instead of continuing straight towards Riley's apartment.

* * *

 

With food in hand, Riley lead Sitara towards her apartment on the third floor. It was a bit more exhausting than it normally would be, just because Riley had been forced to bedrest for over a week, plus her ribs were beginning to bother her. She'd have to take some more painkillers once she got settled.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside. For some reason, she half expected to see the remnants of her struggle with the Bratva members when she was kidnapped, but the room was clean and tidy and just as it should be. The carpet looked vacuumed, the kitchen was free of dishes and the counter appeared to have been wiped down. Sitara must have noticed her confused glances.

"Oh, while you were in the hospital, Marcus and I came by to check on your place and make sure Pants was alright. We did a little cleaning up too." She admitted, placing one of the bags of food on the table.

Riley couldn't believe she'd nearly forgotten about the cat. That whole time, and she hadn't even thought about him once. What kind of horrible owner was she? That thought alone was sobering. She owed him a week's worth of love and affection. "Thank you." She finally said, knowing that if not for them, Pants probably would have starved while she was away. She had them to thank.

Speak of the devil, Riley's attention was directed to the hallway, where she heard a small meow. Pants timidly looked into the kitchen, so different from his usual habit of running straight in when he heard her come home. The poor cat was probably traumatized by all of the unfamiliar people coming in over the past week.

"Pants, I've missed you." She said, putting all of her stuff on the counter and crouching down on the kitchen tile. She winced, feeling her ribs being compressed, but ignored it, too happy to see her beloved cat again. "Come, here, buddy. Come here."

She gestured in her usual way, watching as he carefully stepped out into the kitchen, meowing curiously when he saw Sitara standing there as well. But his recognition of Riley overweighed the sight of a generally unfamiliar person. He slowly walked towards her, offering her his tail to pet.

She gathered him up in her arms, careful not to squeeze him too hard because it would hurt both of them. "I'm sorry I was gone so long. I won't do that again, I promise."

He meowed again, purring loudly into her chest as she cuddled him. Sitara stood by, watching the reunion with a happy smile. "He was such a darling. Poor thing was terrified when we came over to clean, but he seemed much happier after being fed."

"Yeah, his loyalties are easily swayed so long as he gets his food." Riley said, scratching his ears affectionately before putting him down again. It was starting to hurt crouching there for too long. Pants stayed close by Riley even after she put him down, no doubt waiting for his next meal.

"Are you gonna be good? I can grab you something from the store if you need it." Sitara offered. Riley straightened and brushed away the excess cat hair that now clung to her shirt.

"I'll be fine. I know the others are probably waiting for you at the hackerspace, right?" Riley knew that DedSec was in full gear looking for new ops and ways to take down Blume, especially after that stunt that Dušan pulled with them. They all now had a much bigger reason to want to see him brought down a couple notches.

"Yeah, we're poring over data from some of Blume's back up servers. It's taking awhile." She confirmed by nodding with a sigh. Riley guessed there was a lot of work to do.

"Well, don't let me keep you."

"Alright, well you know how to reach any of us if there's any problem." Sitara said, giving Riley a quick hug before stepping towards the door. "Enjoy your food." She gave an amused point towards the bags of takeout.

"Oh, I will. No doubt about that." Riley said with a wide smile, seeing the hacker out. Once the door was shut, she locked it. The brunette wasn't too keen on having another break in. In fact, she should probably look into improving her security system. Her simple lock and key obviously wasn't enough anymore.

Playing with the idea of online shopping for a new security system right at that moment, she shrugged and decided to leave it for later. Right now, all Riley wanted to do was eat. She was tired and hungry, and her chest was beginning to hurt worse.

After popping some painkillers and changing into pajamas to get more comfortable, Riley set up a pillow and half a dozen blankets on the couch. She created a sort-of nest out of the materials before nestling in with her Chinese food. A long day of rest at her own home with her favorite food was just the sort of thing she needed to feel better.

Pants hopped up beside her on the couch after she turned on some Netflix and settled himself between her legs on top of the blankets. It was his favorite spot to sit with her this way. She enjoyed it too, because he kept her legs warm and often provided her a sort-of massage with his purring. It was a win-win situation for the both of them.

While the opening intro played, the familiar music and scenes flashing across the screen, Riley took the opportunity to text Wrench. Maybe even invite him over? The thought was dashed almost as soon as she had it. Riley really wasn't up to socializing with anyone, and not in any way fit to be moving around too much. Texting would have to be enough.

**Finally home…doing absolutely nothing has never felt so nice. :)**

Sure enough, she received a response almost immediately. Riley smiled, glad they were back to the instant back and forth again.

_Nice! Just don't go boasting about that to the others. We're up to our necks in data to scrub through from Blume's servers. They might get jealous. O.o_

**Oh shoot, am I bothering you?**

_No way. In fact, keep distracting me. I need something to get my mind off of all of this useless info…_

**Ok, well, what have you been working on while I was in the hospital? You kept mentioning a project.**

Wrench had briefly mentioned in passing something about a project that he was working on. Based on what Sitara had told her, she was willing to bet it was more to get him out of the hackerspace because of his pent up energy. Maybe one of the other members had asked him to work on it. She wasn't sure.

This time, a picture accompanied his text. It was the bare bones of what was supposed to be a motorcycle, the pieces strewn about in Wrench's garage.

_Marcus asked me to upgrade his ride, plus add a new paint job. It's still in the works._

**Oh cool! What has he got in mind for the paint?**

_Black, sleek, and classy, if you ask him directly. But of course, with our logo in vibrant, messy graffiti. Just my style._

**Huh, you'll have to show me the progress as you go. That sounds awesome.**

_It'll turn out great! I've got to get all the mechanical parts in working order first though…some of the upgrades aren't normally meant for a motorcycle, so I've gotta jury rig the configurations a bit._

**You're not gonna have it shoot out flames or something, are you?**

_…_ _no?_

**Wrench.**

_Ok, Marcus asked me the same exact thing, its almost scary. What would be so bad about flames? Flames are awesome._

**And dangerous. Also illegal.**

_Pfft. Danger is nothing. Plus, what's the fun in following the law?_

**Fair point, but Marcus wouldn't be able to drive it anywhere without being stopped by the cops.**

_Ugh, fine. I'll modify it…but let the record show I did so with much protest._

**Noted. :P**

_When you are feeling up to it, you can come by and see the designs I've got planned. Almost everything is getting an upgrade._

**I'd love to, just give me a few days or so to rest up. The painkillers are the only thing keeping me moving without bitching about the pain right now.**

_…_ _is it still pretty bad?_

**Yes, but if I hear another 'I'm Sorry' from you, I swear I will stuff those schematics for the flames right where you wouldn't want them.**

_I don't know if I believe you'd actually do it._

**Do you really want to risk it though?**

_…_ _duly noted._

Something came to mind then, back when he'd visited her at the hospital. Right when Riley had tried telling him how she felt, in a brief moment of courage, he'd been trying to say something too. Then the nurse came in and interrupted them, but she'd wondered what he'd wanted to say. His expression back then led her to believe that it was something important.

**Hey, back at the hospital, what were you going to say before you left? I didn't mean to interrupt you.**

This time, a few minutes went by before he sent a reply.

 _I'll tell you another_ time.

Frowning in curiosity and slight confusion, Riley was in the middle of typing out her next text message when Wrench sent a second one her way.

_Marcus is glaring at me from across the room. I think I've been compromised._

**Mission abort?**

_For now. Gotta get back to this data. I'll text you later._

Putting away her phone, Riley grabbed the remote for the tv and backtracked about ten minutes. While texting Wrench, she hadn't been paying attention to what was going on, and was now sort of lost. She hoped his quick goodbye hadn't been because of her question, but there was no helping it now.

She happily ate away at her Chinese food and watched more of the cop drama that she'd been dying to get back to. The main character had been so close to finding the killer, and now she was sure by the season finale they would catch him.

By the second episode, the painkillers had really started to kick in, and she fell asleep not too long after.

* * *

 

A long day of rest was definitely helpful, as the very next day, Riley had to go into work and face management. She wasn't necessarily nervous; Riley was fully convinced she'd be walking out with her things from her desk and without a job. But she hated tarnishing her reputation in any way. Especially with an employer. This all may just be a way to get closer to the information she was after, but it didn't mean she wanted to burn all of her bridges in the process.

She'd carefully gotten out of the car, purse and doctor's note in hand, and walked up to the entrance of ProviBlue. The usual bustle of people flowing in and out of the door was present, as well as the security guard sitting at the front desk, manning the security gate.

They'd disabled her ID to check in several days ago, so Riley was to report to the security guard and identify herself. She walked closer and waited in line behind the other person currently engaging the guard with conversation.

Riley glanced down at her phone, smiling at the encouraging message Wrench had sent her after she explained what she was doing.

_Go give 'em hell. ~.^_

The person in front of her got their issue taken care of, stepping out of line and towards the employee entrance. Riley took their place, gaining the attention of the guard.

"Hi, my name's Riley Clarke. I'm supposed to come here to talk to management?" She honestly wasn't sure how this procedure worked, but the guard stood from his seat and gestured for her to follow.

"Come with me."

Riley did as instructed, walking with him towards the elevator at the end of the lobby. He swiped a badge and the door dinged. Both of them stepped inside as the door shut behind them. He pressed the button for the sixth floor, and the elevator came to life, rumbling quietly as it ascended the building.

The air within the cabin was stiff, and neither person looked at each other. She swallowed, relieved when the door finally opened to let them out. Just standing beside this guy was making her anxious. He started down the hall, not bothering to look and see if she were still behind him.

They took a right and then a left, stopping outside of a large office. The guard tapped on the door and a woman's voice bid them to enter. He turned the handle and stepped through, Riley only a step behind him.

The office she walked into wasn't luxurious, but it was neat and comfy and still exuded a certain amount of wealth. It was about six times larger than her cubicle several floors down, and large windows made up the entire left wall, affording a great view of the city below.

A woman sat behind the desk, tapping away at her computer. She gave them a single glance, gesturing to the chair situated on the opposite side, before going right back to work. Riley took the cue and sat, settling herself as easily as she could in the chair. Sitting still afforded her a small amount of pain, as her chest compressed just a little.

The security guard stood at the door, arms crossed and staring out the window while he waited. Riley wondered if it was a normal things, or if she were going to be escorted out as soon as this meeting was over. The latter was most likely of the two.

After a few minutes, Sandra—as the name plaque on the desk identified her as—continued whatever she was doing on the computer. Riley was willing to bet this was all for her benefit, and that there wasn't anything important on that screen. Maybe she was hoping Riley would squirm and start asking for forgiveness, or her job back, or something. But she was well trained in dealing with situations like this. Her impatience be damned, Riley sat and waited, gently tapping her foot soundlessly on the floor.

Riley's eyes wandered around the room, trying to find something to look at in the meantime. There was a security camera in the corner, and she swore she saw it move to look at her more directly. Huh. Who was watching her? Could it be DedSec? Or perhaps the company itself, wanting to try to get more solid evidence on her.

The silence in the room stretched on, broken only by Sandra's tapping, until finally she seemed to realize that this tactic wasn't going to work. With a few last clicks of her mouse, the woman sat back from her computer and looked at Riley properly for the first time. She folder her hands together on the desk.

"Miss Clarke. I'm sure you are aware of the problem currently facing you and your position here at ProviBlue. Am I correct?"

Riley was aware that she meant the back door installation incident, but until they had concrete proof, there wasn't anything they had against her. She nodded slowly, apologetically. "Yes, and I have a doctor's note. But the whole situation was out of the blue, you know? No one expects to be robbed and attacked within their own home until it happens I guess."

Sandra accepted the note and tossed it to her desk without even opening it. "I am well aware of your extended absence from this apparent assault, however I am referring to something else entirely."

Sandra turned the screen of her computer to face Riley, and she saw what appeared to be the front lobby. It took a moment to realize it was a security camera footage. As she watched, Marcus strolled up to the ID scanner and walked in without a problem, but the brunette kept watching, as if unsure of what she was supposed to recognize. Any sign of recognition on her part was carefully hidden.

"Umm…I don't see how this pertains to me. I'm not in this at all." She said, glancing back up at Sandra. The woman had a pinched face, and was unamused by her ignorance regarding the matter.

"The importance here is that this man," she said, pointing to Marcus just before he disappeared down the hallway, "used a badge issued to _you_ that morning to break into ProviBlue, illegally obtain company information, and tamper with company property. I've also have reason to believe that he is a member of that group called DedSec. I'm sure you can see how this implicates you, Miss Clarke."

Riley dawned an expression of understanding. "Oh, I lost that new badge while out at lunch that same day. I think I may have left it at the table or something. I'm not sure though, since I couldn't find it."

Sandra narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. "Not only that, but you used your old badge, which you claimed to have also lost, to check back into work that day."

Riley nodded, as if there wasn't anything suspicious about that at all. "When I realized I had lost my new one, I went home to see if I could find my old one, and I did. It was in the back pocket of one of my jeans the whole time." She shook her head, ashamed at her own stupidity.

Sandra stared at Riley for several seconds, then sighed. Shaking her head slowly, the woman pinched the bridge of her nose briefly, before looking back at her. "If I can be candid here, Miss Clarke. I as well as several members of upper management believe you to be a member of, or at the very least affiliated with, this hacker group. This is something we will not tolerate."

Riley took on an expression of outrage. "Hacker? Are you serious?"

"Given the circumstances and after deliberating with my colleagues, we've come to the decision to terminate your employment here."

"Termin-" She started, shaking her head in the appropriate amount of outrage for the situation. "Are you kidding me? I'm not a hacker! What sort of evidence do they have saying I am?"

Sandra gestured to the screen, which was circumstantial and shaky at best. Riley was willing to bet that was all they had. Of course it was. She'd been careful to make sure nothing could point to her directly.

"I take these implications very seriously, Miss Clarke. The chance of your being a security and financial risk is too high to keep you employed here." Sandra then gestured to the note Riley had provided. "And even if the accusations against you are unfounded, you still were missing from work for over a week."

"I was assaulted!"

The woman shrugged. "So, where is the police or incident report? Surely, you would have filed one after something like this."

Riley glared in return. This time, it was a bit more genuine. They were really trying to prove that her assault had been faked. That was a bit low, even for ProviBlue. "I had several more important things to worry about, like not dying in the hospital, to think about that."

Sandra unclasped her hands and spread them wide, as if Riley's words explained themselves. "Then we've both reached a point in which we cannot validate each other's claims. Nonetheless, an employee with this sort of stain on their record would harbor suspicion from multiple sources in the company. As a security measure, and for your own benefit, we ask that you pack your things and turn in any and all ProviBlue property that you were allowed as an employee."

"I can't believe this…" She muttered, sitting back in the chair with an angry expression. "I put in a good amount of time and effort into this company for over a year, and this is what I get in return? You know what? Fine. If this is the treatment employees can expect from management, I'd rather work anywhere else."

Sandra looked unimpressed with her outburst, and reached down below her desk for something. It was an empty box. "Travis here will escort you to your desk. You may gather your personal possessions and be on your way."

Riley stood and grabbed the box angrily. Not bothering to give Sandra another glance, she turned towards the door, which Trevor opened for her, and marched towards the elevator they'd taken to come up here.

Another tense ride followed, the air once again stiff with silence. Riley gripped the box in a tight hand, staring down at it so she wouldn't have to look at Trevor beside her. The bell dinged and released them from the cabin on the first floor.

He escorted her to her desk. Several of her coworkers spotted them walked among the cubicles, and cast curious glances their way. Riley was willing to bet she'd be the next topic of gossip for awhile, and couldn't help but feel pissed by that fact. It made her uncomfortable when others talked about her behind her back.

They approached her cubicle and she started gathering up the few possessions that decorated her desk. There wasn't much, just a few generic inspirational pictures, some photos of Pants, a couple small figurines that had been hidden away on her shelf, and a paperweight with the Batman symbol on it. She threw them all into the box, searching the rest of the drawers for anything she could have possibly missed.

The noise of her perusing her desk must have alerted Dan, because he popped his head into the cubicle the next moment. "Riley! We were all a bit worried there, is everything fine?"

"Yup." She said shortly, not bothering to turn around and look at him. The guard watched warily, but allowed Dan to enter the entryway of the cubicle, believing nothing would actually happen.

"Woah, are you quitting?"

"No. Fired."

"Fired? What for?"

Riley stayed silent, getting increasingly more annoyed with Dan's talking. She'd always wanted to give into her negatives thoughts and actually slap him in the face like she'd always wanted. However, the presence of the security guard probably would cause more problems than it was worth if she tried it.

"Wow. Jeez, I'm sorry." He said in a genuine manner, shaking his head sympathetically. "You know, if you ever wanna talk or anything, or just go get a coffee…"

Riley's patience with him had run out. All of her possessions in hand, Riley turned around and faced him directly. She shot him the darkest glare she could manage. "You know, I've always wanted to say this to you, and I hope you never forget it. Go fuck yourself, Dan. I'm sick and tired of your pestering and unwelcome flirting and just…everything about you. You make me uncomfortable and sick. Please, promptly get out of my way and go fuck yourself."

The shocked expression of both disgust and stunned confusion on his face was priceless. Judging by his reaction, Riley didn't think anyone had every talked to him like that before. Well, maybe it was about time someone did.

The security guard shifted on his feet, shaking his head to let her know that he wouldn't tolerate anything further from her. Dan, still shellshocked by her words, silently sidestepped the entrance to her cubicle and allowed her to pass.

Feeling immensely proud of herself, Riley held her head high, a pleased smile on her face as she was escorted off of the premises.

* * *

 

Wrench hadn't yet been subject to Riley's fiery anger. Thankfully. Because she could certainly handle herself when she'd had enough, as he'd seen. He'd kept an eye on the office while they'd informed her of her termination, just in case they needed to step in and help her with any incriminating evidence, but things had turned out just fine. The company didn't have enough substantial evidence to prosecute, and all they could legally do at this point was let her go.

She'd looked pissed going back down the elevator to get her things, and Wrench didn't blame her. She was being fired unfairly, in his opinion. She had a valid reason for missing those days of work, and the lack of a police report shouldn't point to proof that no incident had occurred. She still had lingering bruises from the assault for fuck's sake.

Back at the hackerspace, Wrench had watched Riley leave her cubicle with a wide smirk on his face. That little grin of her own, and the way she sauntered out of there like she was the fucking queen was such a turn on. Not to mention, her blunt outburst at this Dan guy was amusing and hot as hell.

Marcus walked by and smacked him upside the head. "Really, dude?"

Wrench came back to himself, and realized that those damned heart icons were back on his display. Why had he even programmed them into the mask in the first place? He rubbed where Marcus had hit him, staring after him as he walked away.

"What?" The hacker asked, spreading his other hand wide. Marcus turned and gestured to the screen.

"Quit stalking Riley and start working. We're almost done with this shit. Let's go." He pointed towards the table where Sitara, Ray, and Josh were all huddled, still churning through all the data they'd gathered.

The hearts quickly replaced themselves with irritated slants, but he reluctantly backed out of ProviBlue's security system and joined his friends at the table. He could just ask Riley about it later.


	22. Taste of Betrayal

Riley didn't waste her time getting back into the action. After a few more days of enjoying the ability to sleep in and not have to go to work, she deemed herself fit enough to return to the hackerspace to take up her mission once again. It felt…freeing…to not have to slog through a day dealing with customers and their loans all day, instead heading to a secret headquarters for a rogue hacker group for work. All she could focus on was what she wanted to do, not what her front of a job deemed her to.

Wasn't that strange? It certainly was exciting. Feeling like maybe she could surprise the others by not telling them she was coming, Riley took her painkillers—the pain was still fairly strong, since her cracked ribs would take a few weeks to heal properly—and went to take a shower. Doing so with the cast was a hassle, but she wouldn't be able to have it taken off for at least five or six weeks according to the doctor. Oh well. They knew what was best.

She felt like wearing her hair down for once, and didn't bothering putting it up in a ponytail like she normally did. Then, with a touch of makeup to make herself feel better—some spots of her face still had lingering bruises from the Bratva attack—Riley smiled to herself in the mirror. For once, despite having no job to do and still with the impending deadline of figuring out how she wanted to stay in San Francisco, she felt happy. Really…actually…happy. No deadlines or looming assignment to worry about. No stuck-up coworkers or policies to follow.

It was so liberating.

Her new colleagues and friends were miles better than those at ProviBlue. Riley actually liked spending time with them, for one. And was genuinely interested in getting to know them better.

Grabbing a few more things, she made sure that Pants was fed and well cared for, then left to go to the hackerspace.

* * *

Marcus stared at the masked hacker incredulously. "…You're serious?"

"Does it sound like I'm joking?" Wrench replied with equal signs on his mask, displaying his irritation. Did he ever joke about things like this?

"No, but you've gotta be kidding me." Marcus shook his head as they approached the door to the hackerspace, showing how disappointed he was. "That was the perfect opportunity."

Wrench spread his hands wide, trying to defend himself. "It didn't feel like the right time at all!"

After inputting the code to the door, they waited for it to open, and Marcus turned to his friend while ticking down his fingers. "The two of you, alone? You saved her life? You showed her your face? What part of that didn't scream _'the right moment'_ to you?"

"I'm…I don't know…It just didn't, ok?"

If this were any other situation, Marcus might have felt bad for putting him on the spot like this. Wrench was obviously inexperienced in everything associated with relationships, but come on. At some point, common sense and just plain romantic tension had to come into play. Any guy could figure that much out. The door opened and they stepped inside.

"Also…why the hell didn't you tell me this the day of?" The hacker stood off to the side at the top of the stairs. He crossed his arms, tilting his head in mock anger. "Here I thought we were friends that shared everything to each other."

"We are!" He assured quietly, not wanting to alert the others downstairs to the conversation. This was just between them. "I just…forgot?"

Marcus seemed unconvinced. "Uh huh. We're gonna have a talk about that later. But honestly, Wrench. I'm trying to help you out here," he spread his hands with a pointed look, "but you have to learn to help yourself."

Wrench didn't know what to say to that, instead pacing in a small circle as he thought through his emotions. Marcus waited as he sorted them out, knowing he'd say something when he cleared them. "I know I'm probably an idiot for it but… _fuck_ , Marcus, I really wanted to just kiss her right then. You have no idea…" The anarchist leaned against the wall, his mask turned upward to look at the ceiling. It switched to an expression of dejection, feeling like he'd fucked up no matter what he would have done.

Marcus felt a bit of pity. Wrench was obvious way in over his head here, but he was glad that his friend was able to openly admit it now. "Then why didn't you?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "It felt like I would have been taking advantage of her or something…or-"

Both hackers were startled as the door to the hackerspace opened suddenly. Wrench's mask flashed exclamation points and Marcus backed away from the entryway as Riley stepped through, looking up with her own surprise to see them just inside the entrance. "Oh, hi guys."

"Riley, nice to have you back!" Marcus perked up, offering her a quick hug. He was gentle, remembering about her injuries. She smiled and returned it, glad to see her friends again.

"It's honestly nice to be back. I was getting bored sitting at home all day." She admitted, finally turning to Wrench who stood off to the side. Her smile grew a little wider. "Hey, Wrench."

"Hey." He said casually, quickly switching his expression to one of happiness for her benefit. He didn't want her thinking anything was wrong, or that he'd been talking about her. No way. But he also didn't indicate he was up for a hug either. He didn't know what he'd be feeling if he actually did so. Better to keep a bit of distance until he figured this all out for himself.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, I'll just scoot past you." She said, feeling like she wasn't welcome to whatever conversation had been taking place before she arrived. The two of them seemed to try playing it off like she hadn't, but Riley could read social cues well enough to get the situation.

"No worries. Oh, and you should probably talk with Josh." Marcus responded, clasping his hands together with an apprehensive expression.

"Why?"

"He dug up some data you might want to know about." Was all he said. She flashed them both a confused but grateful smile, walking down the stairs when Marcus moved out of the way for her.

They both watched as she reached the bottom of the stairs, before looking back at each other. Marcus raised his brows and jerked his head where she'd walked off to, but Wrench sighed again, shooting another glance in her direction. Marcus rolled his eyes. Ok, this had to stop. He pointed at Wrench for emphasis, whispering his next words.

"I swear to you, if you don't tell her soon, I'll fucking do it for you." Then, he pointed towards the hackerspace with his thumb over his shoulder. "Get your ass down there and do something about Riley. I can't stand seeing you two constantly miss each other like this."

Wrench looked back at him. His mask flicked over to wide circles. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would, bitch. Try me." Was Marcus' reply, one eyebrow raised in challenge.

"…" He stared by with a blank expression.

Marcus waited for Wrench to realize that he indeed would do something about it if the anarchist didn't. He wanted what was best for both of his friends, and because it was so _painfully_ obvious that they were both what was best for each other, Marcus felt the need to knock both of their heads together to get them to realize it. Maybe even lock them in a small room until they finally confessed. At this rate, he might just have to turn to such drastic measures.

It didn't take Wrench long before he came to the same conclusion, and with a frustrated shake of his head, he walked past Marcus to descend the stairs to the hackerspace. He let his friend get a head start, knowing he probably wanted some space now. You could only push The Wrench so much before he starting pushing back with less and less restraint. Marcus didn't want to cross that line.

* * *

After greeting both Ray and Sitara on her way to Josh, she approached the green-hooded hacker and smiled. "Hey Josh." She said, and he glanced back at her in surprise, obviously not expecting to see her.

"You're back early." He said with a pleased smile, rising from his chair. He too closed in for a soft hug, and Riley felt a surge of pride. She wasn't quite sure where her and Josh stood relationship-wise. He didn't talk much and seemed to keep a respectful distance to everyone, but this hug was pretty reassuring that they'd at least gotten to be good friends. He was a complicated person, but really when she thought about it, he wasn't all that hard to figure out.

"It seems everyone forgets how impatient I can really be." She said jokingly, returning the hug with as much strength as she could manage without causing her pain, and he let her go. "Marcus said you had some data I'd want to look at."

"Yeah." His smile fell a little, returning to his seat and tapping away at the keys. Within a minute or so, a text message window popped up, with several messages displayed. "After your attack, I looked into the Bratva to see if I could find who they'd been working with. And, well…" Josh leaned to the side so she could see.

Riley leaned in to take a closer look, eyes skimming through the messages.

_I'm told you're the person to go to for a hands-on approach to solving problems._

**And who told you this?**

_A good friend of mine, who just so happens to be very wealthy._

**Alright, I'm listening.**

_I've got a potential problem sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. She's hired out to a news station, so you can see why I have to keep my hands clean of this. I want this kept under wraps, out of the public eye. No connections whatsoever._

**You want me to do a little persuasion, is that it?**

N _ot quite yet. But, I'd appreciate getting your cooperation if and when the time comes._

**I can be quite reasonable when the need arises.**

"Who are these two people?"

"The original recipient was Isaak Yanovich, a Bratva member. The other is Dušan Nemec."

That got her attention, and certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting. But…well, she supposed it wasn't too surprising now that she thought about it. That man seemed to have his hands dipped into everything here in Silicon Valley. But…what did he want with her investigation? "Nemec? How is he involved?"

Josh shook his head, pointing to the screen where another screenshot of text messages appeared.

_Don't think for one second I don't know about the spies you've sent to tail her._

**What does it matter?**

_I want this done at a specific time when the circumstances require it. For now, she's useful. Call them off now, or the deal is finished._

**That's not much of a threat. You've payed us partially in advance anyway.**

_And if I added another $50,000 to the pot to ensure it gets done right?_

**See, this is what I like about you. You know how to negotiate properly.**

_And the spies?_

**They'll be called off.**

_See that it stays that way until I give you further instructions._

Then, after that one:

_We've reached a point where your service are needed._

**About time. I've been anticipating that payment.**

_Do it discreetly. If you can find the data, do so, but the more important thing is to send the message for her to stop. Scare her a little._

**Why not find a more…permanent solution?**

_There's no need. Just get it done, and don't get any ideas._

Riley straightened up, processing all of that. Josh tapped out of the message and next pulled up a few email windows. He turned to look up at her, a pained expression on his face.

"After finding those, I looked into Dušan's communications and everything I could get my hands on. I wanted to see how he was involved. That's when I found these emails. You won't like what they say."

She frowned, trying to gauge what he meant by that. To her disgust and dread, it was addressed to her boss, Bill. Based on the dates of the email, it was sent prior to the text messages to the Bratva.

_To whom it may concern,_

_It has come to my attention that one of your agents is currently investigating businesses in San Francisco, one of which I happen to be associated with. I'm sure this news may be alarming to you, but there is no need to panic. I'm not out to expose your agent, or even do her any harm, despite the admittedly awkward and legally troubling position she might be in. There are many other companies that would seek to prosecute her for her actions immediately._

_However, I'm not interested in that course of action, if it can be helped. I'm positive you and I can discuss this civilly and come to some sort of…agreement. After all, a news station caught up in a scandal is sure to have an audience questioning their authenticity._

_Please do not misunderstand, however. I will make sure this matter is taken care of regardless of your participation. I only want to extend the invitation for you to do so on your own terms that would benefit everyone involved. Consider this my only offer._

_Should you wish to have this matter taken care of, contact me anytime at my information attached._

_Dušan Nemec_

She stared at the screen, slowly going through the information that was presented to her. Things were beginning to click into place, slowly. Maybe Bill refused the offer, and that was why Dušan had sent the Bratva to attack. Maybe Bill had tried calling off her investigation for her own safety, in an attempt to get her out of San Francisco before anything could happen to her. Assuming he had only done so to look out for her, Riley smiled a little.

Ray came up beside them, holding a laptop with the screen facing him. "There's more." He admitted in his gruff tone. Riley watched as he spun the device to face her, and she saw various banking information. Ray explained quickly so she wouldn't have to sit there and interpret it for herself.

"The Tri-Valley Herald received a mysteriously large donation of $500,000 within the past month from an anonymous source. Of course, anonymous doesn't mean much to us, so we did a bit of digging, and-"

"It's an off-shore bank account affiliated with Blume." Sitara jumped in, sauntering up to join the conversation. Her arms were crossed, and she tried looking as sympathetic as possible. "When you put two and two together…" She trailed off, leaving the rest up in the air.

The hope she'd felt after reading the email instantly shattered, and a sick feeling of disgust replaced it. She couldn't fucking believe it. Swallowing down the list of expletives that would have followed, Riley glared at the screen Ray continued showing her silently.

"There was one other email chain I found." Josh interrupted from his desk, and she leaned closer to see. She had a feeling her mood was about to sour further.

_I trust you've kept your end of the agreement?_

_-D_

**Yes, everything should be fine now without raising suspicion. She's definitely upset, but I know her. She'll follow my directions without much complaint. The matter should be taken care of.**

_Wonderful. I've followed through with my end, and you should see the results deposited by the end of the day. It's been a pleasure working with you._

_-D_

Then, about a week later as part of the same chain:

_I thought I made myself very clear when it came to my instructions, Bill. Riley was to cease her investigation, but here I see her continuing to snoop around in my business practices. I didn't want to have to take things further, but you've forced my hand._

_-D_

**I did exactly as you said. She's impulsive, but I didn't think she'd continue it after I stopped the funding. She's a good person…please, just don't hurt her. She doesn't deserve that.**

There was no reply after that email. Maybe it should have reassured her that he didn't want anything bad to happen to her, but right now she could care less. Something did happen to her, regardless, and she couldn't help but blame Bill for it.

Sitara stepped forward, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Riley. I know it probably isn't what you wanted to hear."

Stewing in her own emotions, she furiously glared at the screen for several more seconds. Curling her lip, Riley turned away to put some distance between herself and all the damning evidence. Sitara's hand fell from her shoulder loosely. She missed the concerned glance that the others shared amongst themselves.

Her head shook silently while she ran fingers through her hair. She couldn't. Fucking. Believe. It. Bill sold her out. He fucking sold her out instead of just exposing Dušan's email. How stupid was he? How could he even do that to her? Here she thought he was someone who had the public's interest at heart. Someone who believed in the sort of mission Riley was out to accomplish. That was why she'd gone to work for Bill. She'd seen a kindred spirit and someone who would readily provide her with the resources she'd need to achieve her goal.

She'd trusted him, loyally sticking to her assignment for a year, and this was the sort of treatment she received? He caves in and forces her to abandon everything for a lump of cash? What sort of fucked up karma system was that? Was that all she was to him? Expendable to the highest bidder?

The others left her alone, wandering back to their normal places as they let her work out the swirling emotions on her own. She appreciated it, feeling crowded with them all standing around her. Wrench however, who'd stood back a ways while still keeping an eye on the conversation, watched Riley finally turn and head towards the stairs to the hackerspace. Marcus must have been watching too, because he caught Wrench's eye and jerked his head towards where she'd just run off. 'Do something!' the gesture said, and for once Wrench agreed with him without hesitation.

* * *

After searching the inside of the game store without success, Wrench found Riley sitting in the alley beside the building. Her back against the wall and knees tucked close to her chest, she sat there brooding and glaring at the opposite wall. She gave him a cursory glance but then returned to trying to burn a hole into the graffiti flower that was painted across from her using just her eyes.

Wrench said nothing, deciding to sit beside her and wait for her to want to talk. He knew from experience that when he was mad, he wasn't really in the mood to have a lot of people trying to start a conversation with him. It tended to just make the problem worse. At least, in his case it did. Riley didn't seem quite as reactive as him though.

So, instead of trying to make her talk, Wrench waited beside her, letting her know he was there without being intrusive.

In her hands was cradled her media badge marking her as a journalist. It was well-taken care of. No dents on the edges and clear as day. She cherished that badge. But now all she did was glare at it, turning it every which way in anger. He was half surprised she hadn't chucked it against the wall yet or something.

"Everything is so…fucked!" She finally yelled, predictably throwing the badge against the opposite building's wall. It bounced harmlessly against the brick and fell to the ground with a clatter. She let out a pent up breath and leaned her head back against the wall. "I hate this!"

Wrench's mask displayed his sympathy, two dejected slants looking back at her. "It is fucked," he agreed, nodding slowly, "but now you know what's been going on. Better to know than to remain ignorant."

"Maybe." She bit out shortly, trying not to lash out at him, but still upset and needing a way to vent it. He seemed to understand that though, and didn't accuse her of being unnecessarily rude. Riley was itching to hit or break something though.

"I trusted Bill." She said after some time, staring hard at the badge laying several feet away. Wrench glanced at it, but she kept talking. "I told him everything that happened to my dad, everything that happened to me, and he still…" Her nose crinkled in anger, shaking her head with a dismissive gesture of her hand, "just, fucking…sells me off to the highest bidder."

"Riley-" Wrench tried, but she cut him off.

"I mean, I worked my ass off for him for an entire year of my life! A year!" She said, standing to her feet and pacing irritably. Now that she got going, it was difficult to stop. "I could have spent my time doing a million other things that were more worthwhile than working for his cheap ass!"

Wrench stood too, noticing that her outburst was drawing attention from the passersby on the sidewalk. A few started to pull out their phones, maybe to film her for youtube or something, but Wrench shut that shit down with a discreet few codes in his phone, shutting off the nearby devices so they couldn't be used.

He turned back to Riley, who walked over to her badge and kicked it childishly across the pavement. It skittered to a stop further down the alley.

"Is that all I am to anyone? An errand girl that you can just toss aside when you're done with me? And fucking ProviBlue…I knew I was gonna get fired but they had the nerve to claim that I wasn't attacked because there wasn't a fucking police report. How fucking pathetic! Fuck Bill! And fuck ProviBlue and everybody else!" She yelled with clenched fists, then winced with a gasp when the excessive movement caused a sharp pain through her ribs.

"Easy there, Riley." Wrench said with concern, walking closer to make sure she was going to be ok. She let out a shaky breath, nodding mutely. Then, he walked over and picked up her badge. There were several scratches on the plastic where it had scraped across the pavement. It didn't look so well cared for anymore. He brushed off some of the dirt that dusted it and walked back to her side.

She crossed her arms, both in anger and to try lessening the pain through her chest, then decided that sitting down might help a bit. She returned to her place against the wall, brooding some more, but also starting to feel sorry for herself. She was still angry, but the doubts and fears that maybe she isn't much at all began to sink deeper. She hated feeling this way.

Wrench sighed and moved to crouch in front of her. She had no choice but to look at him directly. "I know sometimes I say the wrong thing, and you're free to punch me or something if I do, but don't let them get to you like this. You're just giving them what they want."

His mask displayed a glance to the right, and she followed his cue, seeing the small gathering of people standing at the edge of the alley watching them. She looked away, beginning to realize she probably looked ridiculous.

"I know that might sound fucking hysterical coming from me of all people," Wrench admitted shrugging with a toss of his head, "but I'm serious. Don't let them know they're getting to you. That's when they win."

"I'm just so fucking done with all of this. It's infuriating!" She admitted, letting out a heavy sigh. She looked down, feeling suddenly ashamed of her loud outburst. Especially in public. But she was just so pissed and didn't know how to cope with it.

Wrench lifted her chin with one hand, displaying his default Xs on his mask. "You can be angry and scream and cry all you want. You gotta let that shit out, or it's not healthy. Fuck, be pissed! You deserve to be. No one's gonna stop you. Just make sure you brush yourself off and do something about it afterwards. You shouldn't take that kind of shit from anyone."

He held up the badge between them, drawing her attention to it. He'd be damned if he let all this get to her. She wasn't alone in taking these fuckers on. She had him, and the others, backing her up. "And you're not some replaceable errand girl, Riley. I know damn well that you're worth so much more than that."

She stared down at the badge for a while, inspecting it mutely. Wrench was patient, watching with satisfaction as she finally, gingerly, took it from his grasp. She looked at the picture, wiping away a smudge she must have seen.

He looked to the side, seeing that most of the people who'd noticed her outburst had moved on, leaving just a few stragglers staring at their phones. Good. He might fight for their personal freedoms, but sometimes the general populace could really piss him off. Like right now.

"Remember when you offered to hack Bill after he cut my assignment?" Riley brought up randomly, eyes still fixed on the picture, and he nodded. "Is the offer still on the table?"

That was better. A happy expression lit up his mask, and he laughed. "You bet. Why would I pass up an opportunity to cause trouble? She looked up at him with a sweet smile. That soul-killing smile. Wrench felt something in his chest.

"We should get back at him somehow. Will you help me?"

How could he say no to a request like that? In fact, the longer he thought about it, the more he realized he'd do anything to make sure she kept smiling like that. "Fuck yeah."

Wrench stood and held out a hand. She smiled and took it without hesitation, and he hefted her to her feet. Intent on leading them back towards the hackerspace, he kept hold of her hand and she followed behind him without complaint.

Nobody gave them any strange looks as they entered, despite the fact that Wrench knew every single one of them had probably heard Riley's yelling outside. By this point, they were all used to DedSec's shenanigans and no longer thought anything of it. He cast a curious glance behind him, seeing her smiling softly. He turned ahead again, glad she was in better spirits.

They approached the door, and Wrench typed in the code. They waited for the door to open, and Riley took the opportunity to wrap her arms around him in a gentle hug. He was caught by surprise, but it was a pleasant one.

"Thanks, Wrench."

He reciprocated, loosely wrapping his arms around her, relishing this moment. "Anytime."

* * *

Riley and Wrench returned to the hackerspace to see Ray surrounded by the other members. He looked up when they approached, and nodded in her direction. "So, what's the plan from here, Riley?"

She stopped, seeing everyone face her, wondering the same thing. She let out a breath, not nearly as upset as she was earlier, but still mad. "I'm not staying with that asshole any longer than I have to. I'll put in my two weeks."

"And where does that leave you, finance-wise?" He followed up, raising a brow. That was the big question wasn't it?

Deciding to be candid about it, she shrugged. "I'll have to start looking for another job as soon as possible."

"You so sure about that?" Sitara asked, a strangely amused smile on her face. Riley tilted her head, confused.

"Is…there another option?" She asked, genuinely curious. Riley couldn't see one. "I can't exactly be homeless, and as much as I love this place, I'd rather not have to live on the couch every night."

Ray nodded, typing away at his keyboard. "As a matter of fact, there is. Of course, only if you want to do it."

"Ok…?" In the short time she'd known him, Riley had come to learn that sometimes Ray liked to be melodramatic when the focus was on him. Maybe it worked so well because of his reputation, but there were times when she just wanted him to spit it out. Like right now.

He gestured to his laptop, and she walked around to the screen to look. "I tracked down all the information used for the money transfer from Blume's account to the Tri-Valley Herald. So, with a little interference of our own, we should be able to take it out of their account and redirect it somewhere else."

"And that somewhere else being…?"

Ray raised a brow, figuring she'd have understood his meaning. "Yours."

"Oh." She blanked. After another glance at the $500,000 that had been recorded in the banking record, the reality seemed to hit her. Ray continued before she could respond.

"Think of it like a severance package. Both ProviBlue and Tri-Valley fucked you over, so why not take a little compensation for it? Blume's the one paying for it anyway."

"You're not really gonna turn away half a million dollars, are you Riley?" Marcus spoke up with an incredulous tone. To him, the answer to that was obvious. "I mean…you wouldn't have to work for years if you play it right."

"We could also track down the portion that went to the Bratva. So, realistically, it would be more than that." Josh added in helpfully.

"And," This time Sitara jumped in, looking proud, "you could dedicate all your time to working with DedSec."

The brunette didn't know what to say. This was all a bit overwhelming. How was she supposed to stay angry when all of this was on the table? "Wow. Uh-"

"You don't have to make a decision now." Ray reassured, waving his hands to calm her down. "And we understand if you want to Just think about it. The offer will be there." And so saying, he rose from his seat and went back to his regular spot in the hackerspace. Riley looked around at the others, but they too dispersed from the table. Only Wrench stayed beside her, watching her curiously.

He shifted on his feet, suddenly unsure what to say. Riley probably had a lot on her mind, maybe she wanted to be left alone, but Wrench still wanted to spend time with her if she'd allow it. "I was, uh, gonna go back to the garage and work on Marcus' bike a bit. Don't know how exciting it'll be but you can come if you want." He stuck a thumb towards the stairs, and she eventually nodded.

"Ok. It might help me take some time to think about everything. I'd love to. Let me grab my bag real quick."

"Sure thing." He said, going to stand by the stairs to wait for her. She wandered back over to Josh's desk, leaning down to grab her stuff. Wrench's eye was caught by Marcus, who waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Wrench shot him two angry slashes, switching back to his happy expression when Riley approached. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." She said, flashing him a distracted smile. She walked ahead of him, and he gently guided her with a hand. Then, flashing another irritated glance at Marcus, he discreetly flipped him off behind Riley's back.

Marcus smirked and shook his head, but by that time Wrench had already rounded the corner and ascended the stairs.


	23. Actions Speak Louder

Wrench stopped the car in the middle of the garage, throwing it in park and shutting off the engine. He stepped out of the vehicle and shut the door behind him, tossing the keys onto a nearby table. Riley was just a beat behind him, emerging from the passenger side and letting her eyes roam over the building's interior. If the car hadn't been parked there, Riley could tell it would have been open and spacious between the metal pillars supporting the roof. On either side, however, were shelves and boxes filled with parts, random equipment, trash cans, tables, and other junk.

The left side was obviously his main work area. Tables covered in tools and parts were set up in a half circle, with standing whiteboards and cork boards on the inside. Blueprints and other pictures with random things hung from these. Wrench pressed a button on a dangling outlet and the doors to the garage closed with a rattle.

Wrench must have spotted her staring at his stuff, because he gave an apologetic shrug and spoke over the noise of the chains. "It's not much but…it's home."

Riley gave it another quick examination, before turning back to him with a small smile. "I like it." His mask lit up with a happy expression, and she laughed a little. She spotted Marcus' bike and wandered over to check it out. It still lay in pieces, but her knowledge of vehicles of any kind was sorely lacking, so she wasn't quite sure what she was looking at. "So, what are you going to work on?"

"Well," he said, grabbing a few tools from the table that he'd need, "suspension will come before anything else, and then I'll start on welding the seat mount brackets to the frame."

Riley nodded mutely, smiling despite not knowing what any of that meant. She stared down at the pile of parts and the bike frame itself, wondering how she could help. She didn't just want to sit back and watch while he did all this work, but what could she realistically do? Hold the flashlight? How helpful was that?

"You don't know what any of that means, do you?" He asked, his voice sounding different from usual, and she glanced over her shoulder.

"No, I-"

Wrench had taken off his mask, sitting where he'd placed it on the table, and walked over towards the mess on the floor. She caught a glimpse of those blue-gray eyes she'd been thinking so much about and forgot what she was trying to even say. When he noticed her looking he flashed a quick, tiny smile and shifted his eyes elsewhere. Riley realized her staring was probably making him uncomfortable, and so she brought her attention back towards the bike too.

"I'm not much of a car person. Or motorcycles, in this case. I took a single automotive class in high school but I don't remember a damn thing." She admitted belatedly, watching him sit cross-legged on the floor. He picked up one of the long, circular metal pieces and inspected it.

"That's alright. You can just watch and keep me company if you'd like." He said smoothly, and with a few taps on his phone a rock song began to play over the speakers in the ceiling. It was just loud enough to hear, but not too loud as to interfere with conversation. Standing there awkwardly, Riley sighed, not wanting to feel like she was just being lazy or something.

"Can I still help somehow? I feel useless just sitting here."

Despite his shy disposition, he still glanced up at her with a half-smile. "Sure, but you might want to put your stuff down."

Riley stood straighter and went to put her stuff on one of the tables further back. She grabbed a hair band and tied up her long brown hair. She knew as soon as she took it out, it would have a visible crease where the band had tied it all together. It was a bit disheartening, especially considering the fact she worked harder on her appearance today versus any other, but it was no matter. She'd rather be helpful than avoid dented hair.

The brunette returned to his side and sat back on her ankles beside him, waiting for instruction. He hefted the large cylinder where it belonged and gestured for her to come closer. "Hold this in place, and I'll bolt it on."

"Ok." She shifted over on her knees, grabbing the places where Wrench was supporting it. Their hands brushed together as the weight transferred to Riley. She admitted to herself that she let it linger longer than was probably necessary, just enjoying the quick touch.

The piece was heavier than she expected, but not unbearable. Keeping as still as she could, she held it while Wrench grabbed a bolt and wrench, fastening it into place securely. From her place beside him, she only had view of one side of his face. He was focused on the bolt, so she had the opportunity to watch him closely without him getting uncomfortable.

When the bolt was close to being completely fastened it became harder to turn, and he grimaced, having to pull harder on the wrench to secure it completely. He let out a grunt while tightening it as much as possible, then reached under him for the next one. This was closer to Riley's face, so she scooted out of the way a little to give him more room to work with.

The song changed over, forcing Riley to realize that she had no idea what to talk about while they worked. Normally a stagnation in conversation left her feeling uneasy. The brunette hated extended or awkward silences. But…maybe this was fine too. She liked watching him work like this, even if they didn't speak. There was something comfortable about this setting, the both of them close and nothing else to do except work on this motorcycle.

Wrench finished the other bolt and sat back. "Alright, now hold it here." He instructed, guiding her hands to another portion of the cylinder and adjusting the position in the same movement. He held it there a moment, making sure Riley had it steady, then set to work on the next set of bolts. It was a good thing he didn't notice the small blush that began to form on her cheeks.

Her eyes ended up settling on his hands, watching as they flexed and gripped and moved. The tattoos were something to behold. She'd always known they were there, and had tried discerning their meaning before, but now that they were this close she was able to really get a good look.

Each one looked hand-drawn. Maybe he applied them himself. Maybe he intentionally had them professionally done to look that way. With Wrench, you could never really tell what something's purpose or meaning was. That was what Riley liked so much. There was always a surprise waiting at the end of every question's answer with him. She was never able to quite figure him out.

"Let it go and let's see how it sits." He said, and she released her hold on the cylinder. It stayed firmly in place where she'd been holding it. Wrench nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, just one more."

They repeated the same process with the second cylinder, and Riley's arms were beginning to ache from holding the metal in place for so long. It hadn't been very heavy to start off, but as time went on with holding it there, it wore at her over time. She didn't say anything though, not wanting to be a hassle. Plus, with that expression of concentration on his face, she didn't want to disrupt his work. He looked more comfortable now than before.

With one last pull on the wrench, he tightened the last bolt and set his tool to the side. "Suspension: check. Onto the others." He said with a small smile and a gesture to the rest of the pile of parts beside him.

"How much are you wanting to get done today?"

He gave another glance at the bike frame, tilting his head. "Eh, as much as I can while still taking my time. I don't really have a set goal in mind and Marcus doesn't need it in any big rush either."

Riley nodded, understanding. She went to rub at an itch on her face, but she saw streaks of black grease coating her fingers. Lowering them again, she looked around for something to wipe them on, but found nothing.

Wrench reached for the next few pieces out of the pile and looked them over in his hands which were even dirtier than hers. He didn't seem to even notice. Giving her a glance, he smiled. "Hold that end for me?"

She nodded, doing as he asked. For about an hour, she helped him bolt and insert components of the motorcycle back onto the frame. The middle was filling out nicely. It was looking more like a bike with each new piece added. Riley's hands grew dirtier and dirtier as they worked, but she gave up caring. Her jeans were dirty and probably ruined by now anyway, what would it matter anyway?

Eventually raising his head, he pointed towards the tables. "Think you could bring me the blowtorch?"

"What do we need that for?" She asked incredulously, and he laughed a little.

"I have to weld the seat mount brackets on." He answered, holding up the smaller pieces he'd been inspecting. He set to work on temporarily securing them in so he could weld it after.

"You say that like you expect me to know what any of that meant." She joked, already on her feet and walking towards the table, searching the many tools strewn about for something that looked remotely like a blowtorch. She heard a low chuckle behind her, but she was too busy trying to find the tool to look at him.

* * *

Wrench couldn't help but stare at Riley's back as she picked through the junk and shit all over his tables. He knew exactly where the tool was sitting, as well as the welding rod he'd need too, but he'd let her figure it out. Besides, it gave him time to just observe her without her knowing.

She carefully sifted through his stuff, being cautious not to break anything that might be fragile. It was cute, really. She was so terrified of doing something wrong, or touching something she shouldn't, Wrench had to hold back the desire to tease her for it. But the atmosphere was nice just as it was. Quiet and calm, and he could have her close to him without it being awkward. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin that with his own big, fat mouth.

His chest still stirred uneasily because his mask sat on the counter and not covering his face, but Riley was trusted. There was no danger, and he'd shown her before. Regardless, it would take some getting used to having her around without it on. But the other part was warmed by how she didn't treat him any differently than when he had it on. She didn't fawn over the fact that it was off, didn't make a spectacle out of it, and she tried her best not to stare openly. It was human nature to look at something you were interested in or curious about, but she attempted to keep it to a minimum, which he appreciated.

Plus, she wanted so desperately to be of use. Riley wasn't one to sit back and let others do things for her. She wanted to take the reigns herself and do something. A welcome change to other girls he'd known in the past who batted their lashes and dismissed his interests because they didn't understand or didn't want to get dirty.

After another minute or so of searching, she sighed and carded her fingers through her hair. "Uhh…I can't find it?" She called, turning to look at him helplessly. Aww, and here he'd thought she couldn't get any cuter. But that little pout was adorable. He smiled, setting the brackets down and rising to his feet.

Without any difficulty, he snatched it and the welding rod from the table on her left and held it them for her view. "Right here."

Riley pouted, miffed that he'd been able to locate what he was looking for so easily. "How do you find anything in this mess anyway? There's no order to it at all. Nothing's designated or anything."

Wrench pretended to think about it as he snatched two welding helmets from the floor and lead them back towards the motorcycle. "Hmm, call it…organized chaos."

"Meaning only you know where everything is?"

"Exactly. So nobody will touch my stuff." He reasoned with a tilt of his head, and she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Men and their tools, I swear." She muttered just loud enough for him to hear. He smiled wider, handing her one of the helmets. She held it awkwardly, most likely never having worn one before. Noticing this, Wrench set the blowtorch, welding rod, and his own helmet on the ground.

"Here," he reached out to help her put it on, "it's not gonna sit perfectly, but it'll do." With a few more adjustments to the plastic band, tightening it to fit her smaller head, it wasn't so loose and held less of a risk of accidentally falling off while he worked. The last thing he wanted to do was somehow make her go blind because of an oversight on his part.

"Ok." She said from under the mask, her voice muffled and echoed. He stood back and sat on the floor. Wrench pulled the hood off of his head, replacing it with the helmet. It fit snugly and comfortably compared to Riley's. Grabbing the blowtorch, he turned it on and picked up the welding rod. Flipping down the mask to protect his vision, he shimmied forward towards the bike.

"Don't look without the mask!" He shouted to be heard over the blowtorch, and she nodded obediently beside him. Satisfied she'd be safe about it, he turned his attention back towards the bike and set to work.

* * *

Riley watched as he slowly welded each piece to the frame of the motorcycle. It was so calming, watching the sparks and lights of the blowtorch as it made contact with the metal. Logically she knew what welding was and how it worked, but watching it first hand was something else. Riley wished she knew how to do it properly to try it herself. But she doubted she'd have the confidence and steady hand that Wrench did.

He was so steady and skilled. No doubt, he'd done this a thousand times before. Where did he learn to do all of this? Riley doubted he received any formal education in any engineering field, but he appeared to be able to do anything.

The heat of the blowtorch and the afternoon sun outside began to make the garage pretty hot, and Riley shifted to take off her light jacket. It had been a bit chilly that morning, but now it was much too hot to be wearing so many layers. She chucked it somewhere off to the side, hearing it land on the concrete softly.

She watched as he easily put on the first two brackets without problem. The third, however, gave him a bit of trouble. Riley couldn't tell the difference but all of a sudden, Wrench shook his head and cut off the blowtorch, setting it down and taking off the helmet.

"Shit…" He muttered, leaning closer to inspect his work.

"What happened?" She asked, lifting the helmet off of her own head once she was sure he wouldn't start welding again. She didn't want to risk accidentally going blind from being careless. Wrench gestured to where he was just welding.

"Got distracted, made a bad weld." He explained, backing up on his feet to stand.

Riley frowned, having thought he'd been hyper focused the whole time. Now that she compared it to the rest, it was much sloppier and non-uniform to the others. He'd done so well up to this point, why was this one so different? "What distracted you?"

"Just…thinking too much." Was all he said without meeting her eyes, heading over to the table again. Riley raised a brow, wondering what he could have been thinking about, but she let it go. She too often got lost in her thoughts during tasks.

Riley stood and walked towards where Wrench sifted through a box of parts on the ground. Seemed like he was looking for something in particular, and sighed after not finding it. "Fuck."

"Don't have something?" She inquired, and he looked up at her.

"I ruined the bracket and I don't have another one." He said, tossing a few of the wrong parts back into the box dismissively. "I'll have to go get a replacement."

"Oh." Riley said, not sure what to do now. Were they going right at that moment? Did this mean he was done for the day until he was able to get the part? Riley wasn't sure. Wrench swiped his mask from the table and put it on, adjusting it with a few presses. The Xs flickered to life again. Then, he reached up and pushed the button to open the garage door.

Instead of grabbing the keys to the car they'd arrived in, Wrench snatched some that were hanging on a peg on the closest pillar, underneath which was another motorcycle. This one was finished though with a splattered graffiti paint job. He rolled it away from the wall and hopped on. It roared to life, and he held out the helmet that had been hanging on the handlebar to her.

"You coming?" His mask flashed question marks.

"Yeah." Riley smiled with a nod, walking to his side. She accepted the helmet and pushed it onto her head, clicking the strap into place under her chin. With a helpful hand from Wrench, she hoisted herself up onto the back, placing her feet properly and wrapping her arms around him. He revved the engine up and shot them forward out of the garage.

* * *

Wrench pushed through the door of the motorcycle shop, immediately going up to the front desk and leaning against it casually. A young store attendant walked up from the back and greeted him warmly.

"It's been awhile, Wrench. How's it hanging?" The man asked, fist bumping the hacker with enthusiasm. The blonde man had a wide smile. Riley glanced between them, wondering if the blonde man knew about Wrench's affiliation with DedSec, or if this was just a casual acquaintance.

"Not too bad, Isaac, not too bad…not a whole lot of time to work on my projects though." Wrench shrugged, mask flickering to his amused expression. "Too many fuckers to hack, you know?"

Ok, so definitely someone who knew about DedSec.

While he was busy in conversation with the attendant, Riley wandered off down the aisles, deciding to look over what the shop sold. She wasn't at all familiar with anything there, unable to tell what half of the items did or were for, but it was at least something to look at until Wrench was ready to go. Plus, she didn't want to encroach on their conversation by hovering.

"Don't I know it." The guy said with a toothy grin, placing his hands on the counter and facing Wrench. "I saw the newest video. Is it really true that the FBI kidnapped you?"

"'Taken into custody,' if you want to put it in the _proper_ terminology," Wrench quoted, eyes displaying quotation mark in tandem with his fingers before switching to irritated dots, "but yeah. Stole my mask and tried getting me to turn on my friends. Even threatened me with Gitmo and shit."

"No way." Isaac said, looking almost as if he didn't believe him.

"Heh, doubt they'll try that again though." He said confidently, eyes sweeping behind him to find Riley. She wasn't immediately there, so he swung his gaze further to include the aisles deeper into the store. He saw her through some of the gaps on the shelf, slowly wandering through the store just looking at everything. He hoped she wasn't bored.

"Crazy shit, bro…so anyways, who's your friend?" Isaac asked, lowering his voice and tossing his head in her direction.

"A _friend_." Wrench said quickly, daring Isaac to say anything on the contrary. The blonde's eyebrows rose sharply, holding his hands up defensively, but that knowing grin was still in place.

"Whatever man, all I'm saying is she wouldn't be a bad catch."

"Hey!" Wrench whispered harshly, head swiveling to make sure Riley wasn't close enough to have overheard that. Thankfully she was out of sight, perhaps at the back of the store. The hacker pointed to the store clerk. "Don't start with that shit."

"I'm just fucking with you, dude. Me personally? Not the girlfriend type, but you do you." Before Wrench could try to strangle him or something for running his mouth, he smiled wider and tilted his head. "What can I get you though? You're here for some part or other right?"

Deciding to let it go, Wrench dug into his pocket for the bracket, placing it square on the counter. "I need another of these. Might as well make it two so I don't have to make another trip just in case."

"Ah," Isaac said, picking up the bracket and finding the manufacturer's number on the bottom, "working on that bike again? How's it coming?" While carrying on the conversation, he looked up the part in the system to see if they had any in stock.

"Taking my time with it but it's made good progress. Should be done by the end of next week, hopefully."

"Cool. You'll have to show me pics once it's done."

"It'll turn out great." Wrench promised, happy expression returning. He was looking forward to seeing the whole thing put together and finished too. Completing projects was so satisfying. And this one would be even better, since he'll get to see Marcus' excitement when it's all complete. Doing favors for his friends was even more fun like that.

Isaac tapped the computer keys a few more times, finally nodding. "Alright, looks like we've got them in stock. I'll go grab you some." He put the bracket down again and walked into the back room, disappearing from sight. Wrench watched him go, then turned back to the rest of the store, looking for his female companion.

He found her looking through the row of helmets. They started out simple and cheap at one end, but as the line went down became more expensive and unique. Riley was all the way down at the end, holding up one that had pointed devil horns on either side and a smiling motif of the devil under the visor.

"Thinking of getting a motorcycle?" He asked, seeing her grin in amusement.

"Nah." She put the helmet down where it belonged, looking through a few more beside it. "Motorcycle helmets just look really cool is all."

"And masks?" He asked with a flourish of his hands to indicate the one he was wearing. She laughed, poking him right between the eyes playfully. He changed his mask to be inward Vs when her finger made contact, simulating his eyes closing from surprise.

"They're pretty cool too."

He flashed her a wink, and she looked away with a shy smile. Turning to play it off, her eyes scanned over the other parts of the store. Wrench followed her quietly, wondering if that light red tint to her cheeks meant anything at all, or if he were just seeing things where they didn't exist because he wanted them to.

Wrench heard Isaac return from the back room, ringing up his purchase at the register up front. The hacker tapped Riley's shoulder, silently asking her to follow. She put away the small little trinket she'd picked up to inspect and let him lead her to the front of the store again.

"Alright, it'll be $32.89." He said easily.

Wrench pulled out the bills from his wallet and paid, scooping up the bag containing the brackets he'd need. "You're the man, Isaac." He bid with a nod.

"Heh, oh yeah. See you around." He said, waving to Riley too as they turned and left the store. She raised a hand in farewell, not wanting to be rude since this was a friend of Wrench's.

* * *

The bike coasted to a stop inside the garage, the engine humming low as Wrench stopped revving it. The sound of the motor echoed in the spacious garage until it cut off entirely when he took out the keys. Riley used Wrench's shoulders as leverage to hoist herself off the bike, allowing him to roll it back into place beside the pillar.

She tried smoothing down her hair, but it was doomed to fail. The fly away was too much to tame. Riley watched as Wrench returned the keys to the peg and took off his mask again. She smiled, happy to know he was getting used to the idea of being maskless around her. It was comforting.

They hopped right back into working on the brackets. Wrench welded the fourth into place, this time keeping his focus. It turned out looking like the first two, even and smooth against the metal. Once done, he flipped up the helmet and inspected it with satisfaction.

"That's better." He said, taking off the helmet and rising to his feet again. Riley looked down at the odd one out of the brackets, still welded unevenly to the frame.

"What about that one?" He looked back to see what she was referring to, then shrugged.

"I've gotta wait til it cools off, then grind it down and start over. It's gonna take a bit though." With that, he wandered back over to the table and searched the tools there for something specific. "In the meantime, I'll see if I can switch out the brake pads. Or, I've been putting off the-" He stopped, seeing her nodding cluelessly with a smile, then laughed. "Right, sorry. Keep forgetting."

"No worries. What can I do?" She asked sweetly, and Wrench had to resist reaching out to ruffle her her when she approached. Instead, he looked at the pile of components on the floor surrounding the bike and tilted his head.

"Umm…right now, not much. I just have to fit some of the components together which is a one man job. You can relax in the meantime though."

Riley nodded, taking her welding helmet and putting it on the table. Now that she'd been able to help a little, she felt a bit better by letting him work. She could only do so much without getting in the way. Wrench returned to the floor with a screwdriver and began working on some of the inner parts of the bike.

The brunette wandered slowly between the tables, taking her time to inspect his space. Now that she really looked at it, her assessment of everything being a mess wasn't quite right. The shelves pushed against the wall were certainly unorganized and overflowing, but the tables set closer to the middle of the garage weren't. They were just full of various projects he was in the middle of working on instead.

The most prominent was what appeared to be a gun in progress laying across the furthest table. It was in pieces, the barrel and stock separate of each other. Various kinds of tiny screws and tool littered the space around it, and a written schematic of what the end result should be sat folded up next to the gun. It looked complicated, and Riley wasn't really able to interpret it.

She moved on, seeing several small metal spheres with wires and small electrical parts sticking out of them. She wasn't sure what they were supposed to be, but her gut feeling told her they were probably explosives. Knowing Wrench, they were definitely explosives. She grinned, tearing her eyes away and looking at the next thing.

The guy had so many little projects and plans laying around his space. How did he keep track of them all? All of them looked equally crazy and cool at the same time. For fuck's sake, there was a sledgehammer underneath the table that looked like it had gotten a lot of use out of it already. She shot him a glance, seeing that he was busy with some part of the motorcycle in his lap, screwing some sort of panel in place for it.

"You know, everything in this garage fits your personality so well." Riley started, smiling as her eyes wandered back over to the cork boards with pictures and memes plastered all over it. One of the corners seemed to have an empty spot though, and the edges of a picture that used to be there was still tacked in place. She wondered what it had been.

"How's that?" He called from the floor.

"Loud and destructive-looking." She joked with a grin, catching his eye. Screwdriver still in hand, he bowed at the waist and waved a hand dramatically in response.

"Thank you. You're too kind."

Laughing under her breath, and Wrench went back to working on his component. Now that she didn't have much to focus on besides his stuff, Riley's mind started playing over the events of the day, finally deciding to think about everything that suddenly happened.

Her little outburst in the alley kept coming to mind. She didn't regret feeling the way she did, but felt embarrassment that it had happened in public All those people looking at her, and not to mention having Wrench take the full brunt of it and still managing to calm her down after. The guy was incredible. That brought up another thought, and she shook her head.

"Sorry about my little uh, tantrum earlier." She said, crossing her arms protectively. "I'm not normally that loud when I'm mad. Hopefully I didn't give you a bad impression of me."

"What?" Wrench asked, pausing what he was doing to look up at her. He looked confused. "I didn't mind. And everyone's allowed a good tantrum every once in awhile. Keeps you sane." He concluded.

Riley shook her head. "Yeah, but it seems like you've seen me at all my worst moments lately. I mean, you even saved my life. I just haven't done anything to return the favor to you." That weighed heavily on her mind. She was turning out to be a regular damsel in distress at this rate. How was she supposed to tip the scales back into balance when he kept swooping in and dragging her up from her sadness or anger? Wrench was almost too compassionate.

"It's not a debt to pay back or anything. Besides…you've done more than you think." Wrench said quietly. Riley turned her gaze towards him, not understanding, but he was focused on the part in his lap. He wouldn't look at her.

"How?"

Wrench remained silent, never taking his eyes away from his lap. Riley thought he swallowed nervously, but maybe she was just imagining it. The same discomfort she'd recognized in his face at the hospital was present again now. Riley backtracked and tried playing it off by changing the subject, laughing nervously.

"You know, I don't know if I'll ever be able to really pin you down. You're like a paradox. One second super outgoing and extroverted, and then quiet and mellow the next."

"Only with you." He let slip, and she saw his eyes widen minutely, flicking back and forth on the part he was still holding. As if he'd surprised himself by even saying it. Riley's heart suddenly ached, wondering if it meant anything at all. How was she to interpret that? Did it mean-

"I mean…because you're a great friend and someone I feel comfortable talking to." He hurried to explain, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

The ache pulsed through her chest again, but this one from pain. Oh. Was that how he felt? Well…she supposed that was a good confirmation of his feelings. They were no more than friends, in his eyes. _Good_ friends, mind you, but nothing further. Riley didn't know what to say, but quickly schooled her features into an easy smile. Nothing was wrong, she told herself.

"Aww, thanks." She said casually, turning her attention back to the tables so he wouldn't see the pain there.

* * *

Wrench wanted to punch himself in the face. What the fuck was he thinking? Right there. That would have been the prime opportunity to say something. Right that second. And he goes and runs his fucking mouth and obliterates that chance. A great friend? Was he trying to give her the impression he wanted nothing further? When he'd let that little bit of truth slip, he'd panicked, not sure what to say that wouldn't risk ruining the relationship they already had.

He saw right through the fake smile she tried giving him in return, turning away to apparently continue perusing his stuff. But he'd seen the brief disappointment. Despite his stupidity…had she been hoping for something more? Is that what it meant? Or was he reaching? He just didn't fucking know.

Wrench looked down at the component in his lap, finally admitting he didn't have the right size screwdriver for the screws it needed. The correct one was sitting on the table over where Riley was. He'd been prolonging going to get it once she'd started talking, and now he didn't know what to do. Great, he'd made things awkward and put himself in this position. He had no one to blame but himself.

Taking a silent breath, Wrench stood from the floor and set the component down, pushing past the fear and discomfort to find himself the right tool.

* * *

She heard Wrench stand and start to walk towards the table. She glanced to the side, seeing him looking through the box of tools on the table. She started walking away behind him, then stopped. This was ridiculous. The brunette felt ridiculous. She was tired of skirting around how she felt. She liked him, no doubt about it. If she really wanted to be something with him in the way she hoped, Riley would have to commit.

Her chest hurt from all the emotional aches, as well as fear that he'd reject her and never want to speak to her again. Nothing worth pursuing in life was ever free or easy to obtain, she told herself, setting her face in determined lines. Her fists clenched despite the worm of doubt in the pit of her stomach.

When Wrench turned to walk back to the bike, she stood herself in the way, surprising him. "Uhh…" His eyes darted between them with concern, then back up to her face. "Riley?"

Somehow even with all her sudden courage, she still had trouble looking him in the eye. Ignoring the fear that threatened to make her freeze in place, the brunette bit her lip before speaking, unable to stop the flow of words once they began pouring out..

"Wrench…I like you. Like… _really_ like you. More than just a friend and everything…" She found herself shaking her head, trying to get the words out in a way that wouldn't be muddled and confusing. It was harder than she expected it to be. Her eyes fixed onto some of the spikes on his vest. "You're interesting and funny and you've been nothing but kind to me. I love spending time with you and just being around you all the time. I understand if you don't feel the same or can't feel that way for me. I won't take it personally and I won't think badly of you…I just…needed to say it and you had to know and…"

Riley forced her eyes upwards, seeing the shocked or terrified expression on his face, but they finally settled on his lips, parted a sliver as he looked at her. The brunette's lungs were on fire from not taking a breath, and she let out the air that had built up. Now that she'd confessed, her reservations and worries were rapidly being ripped away. It was out in the open now, and a weight seemed to be lifted from her shoulders. Wrench still hadn't responded though.

Eyes unable to look away from those enticing lips of his, she sighed with a mutter. "Oh, fuck it." Grabbing the edges of his vest, she pulled him down and herself upwards with the same momentum, capturing his lips with hers. She heard the metallic clatter as he dropped whatever he'd been holding to the floor.

Eyes closing of their own volition, she savored the moment as much as she could. Even if Wrench rejected her and pushed her away, she could still have this memory and this experience of kissing him. She'd wanted to for so long. Why had she waited so long to do this? He was so warm and gentle and just…comforting. She felt him slowly begin to reciprocate the kiss, and her heart pulsed another ache. It might not mean what she wanted it to, but he hadn't pushed her away. it was a start. She let out a little sigh, smiling against his lips despite herself.

* * *

Wrench could barely hear himself think. She really felt the same way? About him, of all people? Riley looked so vulnerable standing in front of him like that, staring at his chest out of fear for seeing rejection in his face. How could he reject her? She was amazing, everything she described him as and more. He was barely paying attention to what she was saying, yet also hanging onto every word like his life depended on it.

And then, she looked up at him and he couldn't have said a word even if he tried. And dammit, did he try. He watched as her gaze fell just below his own, the barely restrained desire they held, and then he was pulled closer to her and she was kissing him.

The screwdriver he'd been looking for, now completely forgotten, fell to the ground with a clatter. Wrench's eyes closed, feeling a stab of pleasure in his chest. Realizing he was just standing there like an idiot, the hacker slowly moved his lips in tandem with hers. Hands gripping the edge of the table to hold himself back for fear of scaring her, Wrench was light as a feather in that moment. Holy shit, he was actually kissing her.

Too soon, she slowly pulled back and opened her eyes to look at him. Neither knew what to say or do, but Wrench knew her confession couldn't go without some sort of response on his part. She'd think he was rejecting her or something. He internally kicked himself in the ass to get into gear. She'd had the guts to risk their relationship when he hadn't. He had to say what was on his mind too, his nerves be damned. She deserved as much.

"Back at the hospital," he started, his breath coming out faster and deeper than it had been before, "I lied to you."

Riley frowned, not connecting the points, but Wrench shook his head.

"You asked if you were any different from the others and I said no. But you are. In a good way." He reached out to cradle the sides of her face with his hands. It wasn't until after he was already touching her did he realize just how filthy his hands were, but she didn't appear to mind. "I like you too. As more than a friend. And I've been too much of a fucking pussy this whole time to tell you."

His eyes searched hers for any sign of repulsion at all but there was none, and she listened intently to every word. He shook his head, pushing a strand of hair out of the way with one of his thumbs. "I can't believe you accept both sides of me and still think I'm a good person." He continued, eyes trailing back down to her own lips. They'd been so soft against his. "And normally I couldn't say any of that without the mask, but I'm done hiding behind it as an excuse…"

He swallowed, then let out a shaky breath, leaning forward an inch or so before stopping himself. "I really want to kiss you again." He admitted, and the corner of her mouth twitched upwards in either amusement or happiness.

"Then why don't you?"

* * *

Whatever restraint Wrench was placing on himself was released, and he swept in for another kiss. Riley's fingers tightened in his vest, pulling him closer as he tilted her head to an angle that suited him best. He was taller, enough so that she still had to lift herself up by her toes to reach.

His fingers slowly slid back through her hair, feeling the strands methodically, all the while tasting her deeply. She loved the feel, and let out a tiny breath in satisfaction. He still heard it and smiled through the kiss, glad that he was the one making her feel that way.

Riley felt him shift his feet, and one of his hands slipped around her waist. She almost opened her eyes to see what he was doing. Before she could, he turned her in place and pushed her back against the table. It hit against her lower back, surprising her from the force. Wrench didn't seem to notice, too far lost in the feel of their lips together to care about much else. Caught up in the feel of her pressed against him, kissing her so deeply, he squeezed her into his embrace tighter.

Riley broke away with a cry of pain, her still-injured ribs sending shards of pain through her chest. Wrench immediately let go and his eyes snapped open. "Fuck, I'm sorry. Are you ok?" He asked in a panic, still hovering close but afraid to cause more damage by touching her.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around her chest to lessen the pain, but Wrench winced with guilt.

"I totally forgot about that, I'm so sorry…" He shook his head, no doubt internally beating himself up over this. Riley honestly didn't mind, brain clouded by desire to really get upset about it. Once it subsided enough so she could breathe properly, Riley straightened and stepped closer to him again, relishing the warmth of his body.

"It's alright." She reassured in a breathless voice. She leaned up to kiss him again, but he stopped her.

"Does this mean you're staying here?" Came his sudden question. Riley frowned, having trouble thinking too much after all of that. A small amount of fear returned to his face, and she finally figured out what he was asking. Did he really think she'd want to find a job elsewhere now? He worried about the strangest things sometimes.

"Of course I am. How could I leave now?" She joked. "I'll take the money that was sent to Tri-Valley and work with DedSec full time. I'm not going anywhere."

"Good." Wrench smiled shyly. This time when she leaned forward to kiss him again, he did too, meeting her halfway. This kiss wasn't as desperate than the last, but no less meaningful. It was slow and exploratory, taking its time as they learned each other. Riley's arms wrapped themselves around his neck, and he slowly pulled her to his chest by her hips. He was much gentler this time, remembering that she was still injured.

They both smiled against each other's lips, oblivious to everything around them.

* * *

Marcus pulled open the side door to Wrench's garage, hearing the sound of the stereo as soon as he entered. He stepped inside, hastily coming up short as he spotted Riley and Wrench wrapped up in each other by his work space. Holding a fist to his open mouth in both surprise and pride, Marcus held back the noise he wanted to make, backing himself up so he wouldn't be so obvious standing there staring at them.

The hacker pulled out his phone and snapped a zoomed-in pic of the two, still attached at the mouth. He wondered if anything would even tear them apart at this point. They didn't appear to be registering their surroundings at all. With a few quick taps, he sent the picture off with a gloating message attached. That ought to be proof enough.

Within seconds, his phone vibrated in response. Marcus grinned.

_Sitara Dhawon has transferred $100 to your account._

* * *

"Shiiit, I knew there was something up between you two."

Startled, Wrench and Riley pulled away from each other, spotting none other than Marcus sauntering closer. She was sure her face was bright red. The hacker looked smug as he approached, surveying the both of them. Then, he pointed behind him at the way he'd come.

"I was just stopping by to check on the bike but, you know, if this is a bad time…"

"God dammit, Marcus." Wrench swore, walking closer and looking like he was gonna throw a punch. Marcus back pedaled a few steps, holding out his hands to calm him down.

"Ah, relax Wrench, I'm happy for the both of you. It's about time you stopped running in circles around each other." He said, smiling proudly like he was witnessing two of his children finally growing up.

Riley glanced at Wrench, figuring that he had said something to Marcus about liking her. Which only caused her to blush further. It seemed Wrench didn't know what to say to that, but luckily Marcus continued on anyway.

"I'm here for another reason too, though." He said, pulling his phone out and bringing it back to business. "Ray got me into the Galilei building, and I tampered with the rocket set to launch tomorrow."

"You tampered with a rocket?" Riley repeated, almost not believing her own ears. No matter how long she'd been with DedSec, they still continued to surprise her.

Marcus only shrugged it off. "Long story, but just the satellite relay it was launching, not the rocket part itself. We should be able to access the network once it's in orbit."

"Hell yeah." Wrench said and exchanged a fist bump with his friend, temporarily forgetting his earlier irritation with Marcus for barging in while him and Riley were having a moment. The sheer amount of awesomeness with that whole sentence was distracting. "What time does it launch?"

"According to the schedule, 1:30 pm." Marcus held up his phone to show them the countdown. "So, thought I'd swing by and let you guys know. Everyone's gathering at the hackerspace to watch."

Riley nodded her enthusiasm, always up for watching rockets launch. Wrench stooped down to pick up the screwdriver he'd dropped earlier.

"Sounds like a plan." He agreed.

Satisfied he'd communicated the plan, Marcus walked backwards towards the exit, but gave them both a pointed look. "I mean, unless you two have more _important_ things to do, then don't worry about it. I'll save the vid so you can watch it another time."

He narrowly dodged the screwdriver that Wrench sent flying towards his head, ducking out of the way and jogging a few more feet out of his range. "I'll see you both later!" He called, escaping out the side door before they could stop him.

Wrench sighed heavily after Marcus left, rubbing at his face with both hands. He'd forgotten they were covered in grease and dirt, and ended up smearing some of it on his face. Riley thought about the conversation with Marcus and let out a quiet chuckle.

"Did you notice he didn't even take a look at the motorcycle?"

"Yup."

"And that he could have just texted you about the rocket?"

"Oh yeah." Wrench finally looked back towards her, and she got a good look at the smeared dirt on his face. She bit her lip, trying not to laugh. He noticed her expression and then glanced at his hands. "What? Something on my face?"

Riley glanced upwards, shaking her head with a smile. "Nope."

"Uh huh." He said doubtfully, prowling closer to her with a predatory smile. She moved to place the table between them, giggling when he came closer. They squared off across the table, Wrench pretending like he was going to move just to see her react. Then, he sprinted around the table as fast as he could, and Riley went running the opposite direction.

She ran between two of the tables, trying to get away, but he easily caught up with her. She giggled and tried kicking herself away, but Wrench held fast, turning her in his arms to face him. The brunette's laughter slowly died down, but her mischievous smile remained in place.

Wrench narrowed his eyes and sported a smile of his own, intent on kissing that smirk right off her face.


	24. Unwelcome Discoveries

Riley made it to the bottom of the stairs of the hackerspace the next afternoon, and Sitara noticed her entrance first. "Glad you could make it." She said, gesturing with her hand from her seat on the couch. "Come on over. It's almost time for the launch."

The brunette smiled, setting her stuff by the lockers and approaching the back of the couch slowly. Sitara and Josh sat below on the middle two cushions, greeting her with smiles and nods. Sitara's, in Riley's opinion, was much too devious and all-knowing to be entirely innocent. Marcus had probably said something to her about her newfound relationship with Wrench. The thought alone threatened to make her break out in a deep blush. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that gossip traveled fast through the hacker group.

"How's it feel to be filthy rich now?" She asked with an amused grin, and Riley shrugged.

"Well, you know. It'll take a while to get used to the fact that I don't have to survive off of microwave meals anymore, but I don't think I'll be dining on caviar every night if that's what you're asking."

Ray had finalized the transfer of cash over to Riley that morning, texting her to let her know it was done. She'd confirmed it on her bank account app, still feeling slightly surreal to see all those zeros behind that first number.

"Good. We don't want all that cash getting to your head." Sitara joked, winking to let Riley know she wasn't being serious. The brunette smiled back, aware it was just a jest.

Ray wandered up from the back of the hackerspace, beer in hand to enjoy while they watched. Her gaze circled the room, and she saw Wrench was over by his workspace tinkering with what looked to be a computer motherboard. Hearing Sitara call out, he looked up, seeing the brunette come closer. His happy expression flickered over his mask and he gave a little wave. She smiled, returning the gesture.

All of the screens on the wall facing them were set on the same news station, which was airing the rocket launch. Galilei had launched several other rockets previously, and this was the last of the scheduled ones to go. Marcus and Ray had acted just in time to install their backdoor onto the motherboard.

Speaking of…

"Where's Marcus?" Riley asked, not seeing the hacker in sight even as the rest of the group gathered together around the screens. Surely he wouldn't miss the launch?

"He's on his way." Josh said.

He'd seemed pretty excited about it the day before. There was only about five minutes left on the countdown. He'd better hurry. Even as she had the thought, they all heard the door upstairs slide open, and Marcus rounded the bottom of the stairs a moment later, taking out his headphones.

"The man of the hour!" Wrench announced, meeting Marcus halfway into the room and wrapping an arm around him in a friendly manner. "Come on, Wesley Crusher. The launch awaits."

"Bitch please, I'm clearly Sisko." He retorted, breaking off from the side hug and taking his place on the last available cushion on the couch.

"Jake Sisko?" Wrench asked in an amused tone.

" _Captain_ Sisko." Marcus clarified with emphasis, and the others made more room so they each could sit comfortably. Ray pulled up one of the folding metal chairs from the table and set it beside the couch.

"We're a few minutes away from having Blume at our mercy!" Sitara cried with excitement, her leg bouncing up and down from nervous tension.

Wrench took his place beside Riley, eyes watching the screen gleefully. "Ooh, we're gonna cook the shit out of their goose!" He said, and the brunette chuckled. The conversation continued on, saying how Blume never should have taken DedSec on in the first place.

Riley watched the masked hacker out of the corner of her eye, unable to help the smile that was forming. She really thought she'd be exhausted, but just standing beside him seemed to give her energy. She hadn't gotten a lick of sleep the night before, too distracted from thinking over the day's events. Even while laying in bed, dosed up with a bunch of sleeping pills to try knocking her out, she'd squirmed pleasantly in place under the covers, thinking about their kiss.

Well…kisses, technically. It had been a lot more than just one. In fact, Wrench hadn't made any further progress to Marcus' bike because they'd both been too giddy and distracted by each other to really do anything meaningful. They'd spent the evening sitting close together and talking. With random make out sessions in between after they caught each other glancing at the other's lips again.

Riley felt her cheeks starting to heat up. Additionally, Wrench must have felt her staring, because he turned his head to regard her. When they caught each other's eye, Wrench flashed her a wink. Her smile widened, and she dared to brush her hand against his behind the couch. Thankfully everyone else's attention was rapt on the screen, giving them a small amount of privacy behind the couch. Wrench glanced down at their fingers, which brushed together briefly.

Instead of letting it go, he reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers together. His mask flashed a quick heart icon, before returning to his happy expression. Riley squeezed his hand gently. It was nice being able to finally express her feelings like this, instead of hoping they didn't show through.

They were both distracted when Josh started a countdown. "T-minus 20. 19…18…"

"17. 85. Qwerty. Googolplex." Wrench interrupted impatiently. Why would anyone start a countdown at 20? "Just imagining that data load is enough to get me to half mast, and touching cloth, at the same friggin' time!"

Riley's eyes widened imperceptibly, and she forced her eyes to stay on the screens. As perverted as it was, she couldn't help but be curious to look. Did that make her a bad person? Whatever the answer was, she didn't have time to think about it, as the countdown finally reached 5 seconds. Then the rest of the gang started calling it out together.

"Tres, dos, uno!"

The rocket's booster ignited, sending plumes of smoked roiling underneath it in spectacular fashion. Slowly, then faster, it lifted off the ground up towards the sky. The cameramen filming kept the focus on the rocket as it ascended.

"Happy new year!" Wrench said as they all cheered together. Riley watched as it soared higher and higher, the rocket slowly getting smaller in the camera as it rose to a height even the zoom couldn't fully reach.

Finally, the news station cut back away to the anchorwoman, who was reporting on the story. The gang stood from their chairs and mingled, talking about the launch. Both Wrench and Riley reluctantly pulled their hands away, not wanting anyone to comment on the fact that they'd been holding hands. She knew Wrench was a shy person when it came to this stuff, and Riley herself was pretty private in her own love life. They didn't want to be displaying too much PDA, especially with a relationship this new.

* * *

 

The rocket took about 10 minutes to reach orbit. Marcus worked at his laptop, trying to access the backdoor they'd installed onto the rocket. They weren't even totally sure if it would work, but this was the defining moment. The others were crowded around to see. The air was tense, the DedSec gang waiting with bated breath to see if the hack would work after all. If it didn't, at least they'd tried to access whatever Galilei was so tight-lipped about. If it did…

They all watched excitedly as the device pinged, and Marcus smiled with pride. The gang let out shouts of surprise and relief. Wrench in particular was pumped.

"Yes!" He turned to Riley and high fived her, and she smiled wide. It had worked! They were in! Then, he turned back to his friend. "Marcus, you beautiful bastard." He wrapped the hacker in a hug from the side, pulling him closer and making loud kissing noises.

"Ok, alright. Ok!" Marcus pushed insistently at him with a chuckle, eyes never leaving the screen as the data began to pile in. Sitara brought the laptop closer to her face, eyes scanning the screen.

"Guys…guys! Look." She turned the screen to show the rest, and they all went quiet as the sheer amount of data began to transfer to their devices. They hadn't expected this much, though with all the secrecy surrounding why the rockets were even being launched, they hadn't known what to expect at all.

"It'll take forever to get through all this." Josh supplied helpfully, now fully focused on his own laptop. Other than Wrench and Riley, the gang dispersed from around Marcus and took up their own places at the table.

The brunette shook her head, perplexed and astounded all at the same time. Maybe they'd gotten into a lot deeper plot than they could handle. But…no way, DedSec could take care of any issue, solve any problem. This was just a lot higher of a hurdle than they'd anticipated needed leaping.

"Focus on why the satellites are in play…Ray?" Marcus asked, gesturing to the older man. He obviously knew more about these things than them. Perhaps his more experienced eyes could discern some more meaning from it than they could.

"Yeah, already got eyes on it." He reassured, focused on the laptop in front of him. Then, within seconds, he leaned back in his chair and stared in surprise at the screen. "Holy loving fuck…It's a backbone."

Well. _This_ was a new and terrifying revelation. If this is what Galilei was so quiet and secretive about…it was much worse than they'd thought. The others seemed to have the same thought, all taken aback by Ray's discovery. "A satellite backbone?" Marcus winced in both amazement and confusion.

"What about the latency? There's no way they can match the speed of fiber optics." Josh shook his head, not understanding how this set up was possible.

Sitara huffed out with a humorless smile, interpreting the transfer speeds and the diagnostic data she was running. "If I'm reading this right…they are. Blume did it. They're bypassing the undersea cables with satellites."

"It's a wonder they were able to keep this out of the public eye. I mean, this is completely new stuff. Surely someone would have leaked it." Riley said, and Josh caught her eye with a nod.

"Not just new. This is a quantum leap in tech. I mean, if it works, it'll take hackers years to catch up."

Marcus smiled, already working on skimming the data for some sort of compartmentalization in the system, some way to figure out some sense to what it contained. "Not for us. We're already in." He pointed towards Ray again. "Eh, who's on Blume's client list?"

Ray turned back to the data and spent some time looking through what they found. The sheer size made it difficult to pinpoint a specific database. But before long he was listing off names. "Ok, we've got Nudle, and !Nvite, we got Tidis, Galilei…" As he went down the list, Ray grew more and more concerned. "We've got the…the Government! The New York Stock Exchange!"

Wrench interrupted with a hand gesture. "Wait, so all these companies just agreed to up and funnel all their data through Blume?" His mask displayed two circles, expressing his doubt. "Does anyone else find that suspicious?"

"All that data at Blume's fingertips. That's like…the world's most powerful monopoly." Marcus muttered, waving at the laptop as reference.

They all grew quiet, letting the unsettling truth sink in. Blume's reach and influence was much more widespread than they'd originally thought. It wasn't just San Fransisco where it had sank its teeth in. They were dug in throughout the country, thanks to big corporations like this trusting them with their data flow.

Riley felt so much smaller now, realizing how big of a problem this was. For whatever reason, she had unconsciously assumed that dealing Blume a major blow here in San Francisco would be the end of it, but that wasn't the case. This was so much bigger than just them. How were they supposed to keep up? Sure, there were other DedSec groups dotting the country, but they were few and far between. They would need a bigger influence as well in order to combat this system further. Hence Sitara's mission to spread their name far and wide.

Riley's blog didn't feel like it was making much of an impact when put into this perspective, but she was determined to still continue helping in whatever way she could.

Wrench was pacing behind the chairs, a thoughtful expression on his mask, then whirled in place and pointed to Marcus. "Can wee nuke the backbone?"

It was Josh who answered. "No…" He shook his head. "No, even if we could, we still need answers."

Marcus seemed to sense that the morale was decreasing as the full brunt of their task ahead hit them, and he stood, appealing to them with his arms spread wide. "Hey everyone, listen up. Our work is far from over but with this score at least we're on the playing field. So pick a target…!Nvite…Tidis…"

"Dibs!" Wrench interjected quickly, raising a finger.

"…whatever, and start digging." Marcus continued, still addressing the whole group. "Look for shit they're not supposed to be doing, right?"

He got a handful of nods from the others, all agreeing with him. His face was set in determined lines. "Dušan wants to paint us as the enemy? Let's show him what going to war with us really means."

"Yeah!" The group resounded out in unanimous agreement, and they all began getting up to start right into the information they'd gathered. Wrench wandered over to his workbench with Riley only a few steps behind him.

"You want to go after Tidis, huh?" She asked, and he clenched his fists with a giddy expression.

"Hell yeah! Just think…" He spread his hands wide, mask switching to two different sized circles. She could imagine his mind running wild with possibilities. "…robots of all kinds, right there waiting for me to tamper with…I could build anything I want with their technology and schematics."

"Oh really? And what's the first thing you'd make?" She asked, crossing her arms and leaning against his desk. She was really curious as to what insane ideas he had up in that head of his.

He held up one finger, a suddenly irritated expression on his mask. "First thing on the list is a robot that serves as both a refrigerator and a microwave. It's gotta be mobile, so I can grab a cold beer and make leftover Mexican food anywhere in my garage. How this problem hasn't been fixed already is beyond me. It's goddamn 2018 already."

"That's…surprisingly tame." Riley said, raising her brows with a small smile. "I honestly expected it to be a lot more…I don't know…" She searched for the right word. "…destructive."

"And the second thing," Wrench continued on with a now happy expression, "is a mobile tank of sorts. Practically indestructible, plus, compact and fast enough to infiltrate with ease. It will be able to throw grenades and release smoke for cover. I'm also tinkering with the idea of attaching two flamethrowers to the front…"

"Aaannnd, there it is." The brunette said with a chuckle. "That's more like what I would expect from you."

"What can I say? I'm a man of simple tastes." He said, causing her to laugh again. His expression flickered back over to the default Xs, and he tilted his head. "Oh, yeah. I forgot you haven't met Wrench Jr. yet."

"Wrench Jr.?"

He perked up again. "You'll love him. The best robot companion you'll ever meet. And surprisingly good at conversation too."

"I bet." She said, smiling again. Her eyes were beginning to feel heavier. It seemed her long night of no sleep was beginning to catch up with her. She tried covering it with a hand, but Wrench noticed anyways.

"You look like you need a nap." He said gently.

Riley couldn't help but tease him, so she pretended to frown in offense. "Is that some roundabout way of saying I look like shit?"

"No, no!" He rushed to clarify, exclamation points flashing on his mask. It was kind of cute the way he panicked like that. He may call her easy to tease, but he himself was no different. "I was just saying…you yawned…and-"

Riley's laugh cut off whatever he was about to say. "I'm kidding! Don't worry about it. But you're right, I definitely need one." Another yawn threatened to break out, and she shook her head to ward it off.

"Then go home and sleep, or pass out on the couch here if you want. DedSec's not a 9-5 job. You can come and go as you please." Wrench reassured, brushing a few strands of her hair out of her face.

Riley smiled, feeling warm by his concern for her. He was always so sweet, and so patient. "Ok. I think I'll chill at home for a bit, then…I'll see you later?" She hadn't intended it to be a question, but she honestly wasn't sure if Wrench wanted her around all the time, so it had turned into one halfway through saying the words.

He huffed out a laugh, then flashed an affirmative wink. "I sure hope so."

"Catch you later, then." She said, poking him in the chest before turning and heading towards the locker where her stuff was still sitting.

* * *

 

Her several hour nap was much needed. She'd crashed on her couch almost as soon as she entered, tossing her stuff on the floor in the living room and collapsing into the cushions. Couches weren't ever comfortable enough to sleep on until you were utterly exhausted, in which case, they were the comfiest things in the world.

Riley had awoken several hours later, the sun close to the horizon. She checked her phone, seeing it was already past 8. Shit, she'd been sleeping a bit longer than she'd anticipated. The idea of setting an alarm had been forgotten completely. Whoops. Hopefully Wrench didn't think she was intentionally avoiding him.

Too lazy to get up immediately, because the couch felt nice and cozy and at some point Pants had decided to lay down on top of her feet at the other end of the couch, Riley continued laying there a bit longer, just relaxing without any worries.

She took the time to think about the large task they had ahead of them. It would take some time to scrub through that data they'd obtained, and putting together exposure operations to reveal the truth to the city would take even more time. Sitara had her work cut out for her. Riley would try to help as best she could.

As she lay there thinking about a great many things, her mind began to wander to other topics. Random topics. First Wrench, because he was always on her mind. She smiled. Her very random thought that he was just a cutie was most prominent. Hmm, what would he say if she told him that directly? Now she kind of wanted to.

Then to Bill. She had yet to call in her two weeks, but she was too lazy to do it right then. She had a choice few words for him, and she wanted to be completely clear headed when she told him those things, so she'd never forget them or his reaction.

Then…All that data being uncovered had reminded Riley of something. She hadn't checked on her mom in awhile. Normally she tried to keep tabs every month or so, but with all of the things going on the past little while, Riley had just completely forgotten. There were more important things to do, as awful as that sounded.

The more she tried forgetting about it, the more the thought of her mother held on tightly to her conscious. It wouldn't leave her alone, the nagging thought that she was overdue to check how she was. A part of Riley wondered why she still bothered, knowing her mother would never care if her daughter was watching out for her. She seemed unconcerned with her lot in life now, and hadn't bothered looking for her, as far as the brunette was aware.

Staring up at the ceiling a few more minutes, Riley finally reached down and dug her phone out of her bag, unlocking it to navigate to her hacking console. She typed in the familiar codes and commands, watching as her mother's ctOS profile picture pulled up front and center on her phone.

She stared at the familiar brown eyes, trying to see past the awful memories to the person she used to be. She was smiling sweetly in her picture, but she hadn't seen a smile like that in…years. Not since her father…well…it had been years. Her black hair was still curly and short, but the face was gaunt and shallow. Obviously the woman had seen better days in a health sense.

Under employment, it still listed the same customer service, minimum wage call center job that she'd gotten 2 years ago. At least she had a stable source of income, right? It didn't appear that she was earning any raises or moving up in the company, however, because the low salary hadn't budged since she'd been hired.

Riley eyes scanned the superficial information that she knew almost by heart. Age 54. One child. Widowed. Never remarried. They still included the little tidbit about her having used to be a physical therapist, despite the fact that she hadn't practiced for years. One living sister in Georgia. Riley had only ever met her once. Several late payments on her apartment. Evicted from two previous residences.

Incarcerated.

Riley's eyes were glued to that one, unable to look away. What? When had this happened? Why? With a tap on the attached file, an arrest record and mugshot followed. Breaking and entering. Possession of illegal substances. Suspected substance distribution. Evading police. Assault on an officer. Her brain could picture the turn of events rather well, but still…

The provided mugshot pictured her mother looking grim and even more unhealthy than her ctOS profile. Her eyes were sunken and gray, dark circle underneath them. Her face was more defined, most likely from losing weight. Her eyes looked…almost lifeless. But nonetheless just as cruel as she remembered them to be. Her mother may have changed over time, but not in a good way, and the abuser Riley had known was still in there somewhere.

The brunette didn't know what to feel about it, all the same. This woman was still her mother. They were blood. She'd given her life. Raised her until she was a teenager in a good home as a good parent. It wasn't until tragedy shook them to the core did she change.

A few lines down, she read the posted bail. Tens of thousands of dollars to have her released. And now that Riley could afford it, maybe…

Could she really forgive years of abuse though? Did the years of love and affections before the change outweigh the trauma she'd put her through afterwards?

A part of her still loved her mother…in a way. Riley could recall the ballet recitals she'd attended when the brunette was very young. The times making cookies where more of the cookie dough was eaten raw rather than actually being baked. The trip to the emergency room when she'd broken her arm at 10 years old. Embarrassingly confiding in her mother that she liked David in 8th grade, and the excitement her mother had displayed knowing her baby was growing up.

All those memories…Riley cherished greatly. She held onto those as the only part of her family she had left. Whoever this woman was now…well, was it still even her mother? Would she even recognize Riley if they ever met again? How far gone was this woman?

Did that give Riley the right to turn her back and allow her to rot in jail for however long she was in for?

It didn't feel like there was a right answer here.


	25. Burning Bridges

The weight of uncertainty grew heavier throughout the week as Riley tried unsuccessfully to find an answer to the problem that was her mother. Riley was never very good with big decisions like this. She'd written countless pros and cons lists, rolled dice, and hell, even flipped a coin to try making a decision. But the brunette honestly didn't know what to do. Nor did she want to bring it up with anyone from DedSec. Her mother was a dirty secret that Riley wanted to keep swept under the rug if at all possible. Well…it wasn't as if they didn't know about her already. They were hackers for fuck's sake. They'd probably known about her since day one.

She hadn't even told Wrench what was going on. Maybe she should have, but…this relationship was still new. And she didn't want to come off as needy or a burden. The last thing their relationship needed was Riley dumping her family issues into it for him to deal with. Plus, she wanted to be able to solve this by herself. It was her mother. It was her decision.

So, she'd used the large data mine that was the Galilei satellites to distract herself enough around Wrench that he wouldn't notice she had other things on her mind. Not that this was too difficult of a task. There was a lot to go through anyway, and Riley was able to focus on helping Wrench gather data on Tidis, leaving him none the wiser.

To be fair, he was also rather distracted by what they found. He was so excited to target them, it was adorable. Half the time, Wrench was nearly bouncing up and down in his seat as he read through the robotic plans and schematics. Like a kid in a candy shop. At one point the brunette was convinced that the happy expression was now permanent. It hadn't changed from his joyful emoticon in days.

She'd noticed a rapidly-growing pile of papers on one of his tables in the garage. She'd walked by one the day before, and saw blueprints for something electronic. It was much too complicated to interpret for herself, but she knew Wrench was probably out to steal all of their creative property. At least, the stuff they'd funneled through the satellite link. She was sure there were more classified and top secret projects on the local servers. Wrench would probably want to go there and hack them once he'd skimmed off what he could through the satellites. Not a big surprise there.

Riley enjoyed the time they spent just hanging out together. Wrench had thrown himself headfirst into this project and, knowing him, there was no getting out of it until it was finished. This meant they hadn't been very intimate with each other since first forming the relationship. Riley didn't mind, though. The few brushes of a kiss they shared on the few occasions his mask was off were enough for her. He still seemed rather shy about the whole thing, but slowly, Riley saw he was beginning to open up and get used to her always being around.

The rest of the group were off investigating the other companies that had funneled their data through the satellite back bone. There were more than just the six of them could all manage without stress. This left barely any time for relaxation, let alone socializing. They still kept in contact over the comm channels of the earpieces, mostly to discuss information they'd uncovered, but they hadn't gathered back in the hackerspace for several days. She was beginning to miss them more and more as the week dragged on.

Riley was impressed with DedSec's endurance and determination. This was the first time seeing them in action for such a prolonged amount of time. It was inspiring, watching them dig through thousand of lines of code, documents, pictures, names, addresses, locations, and all sorts of information to further their mission. It made her want to try her best too.

But even with her desire to contribute as much as the others were, that nagging question at the back of her mind kept her slightly out of focus. As if her mind was shifted just a few inches to the left, making her mostly there, but not entirely. It was a strange feeling.

Wrench had caught her staring off in the distance a few times head tilted and lips slightly parted. When he asked if she were alright, Riley would laugh and dismiss his concern, throwing herself right back into the job at hand. After the first few times, however, he seemed to check on her every so often just to be sure nothing was wrong. Riley tried her best to avoid concern, but he was observant and smart. She could only pretend for so long.

"You sure you're alright?" He'd asked the day before, setting his laptop down and leaning in closer to inspect her face. "You haven't been all…'there.'"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm a bit tired is all." She gave him a smile, hoping he wouldn't ask further. His head cocked to the side, and his expression returned to Xs.

"Ok…you just seem worried about something."

Riley let out a breath, wishing he wasn't as perceptive as he was. She wasn't ready to make a decision yet. Brain scrambling for an excuse, she blurted out the first thing she could think of. "I mean…I guess I'm just putting off calling my boss and turning in my two weeks."

Wrench's mask switched to question marks. "Why? You're not seriously considering staying with his company." His tone left the distinct impression that if the answer was yes, he'd be fully prepared to sit her down and give her a long lecture on why that wasn't a good idea.

"No, no!" She rushed to deny, holding up her hands. "Nothing like that. I just don't know how I'm gonna say what I want to say without cursing him out. Or, I don't know, getting my point across."

"Why would that worry you?"

Riley rolled her eyes. "I don't want to leave in an unprofessional manner. I don't like burning bridges."

"You didn't hold back with ProviBlue." He remarked offhandedly, then stiffened as his eyes switched to exclamation points. The brunette's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, a slow smile spreading across her lips.

"…I didn't tell anyone about that."

Oops. He'd let it slip out by accident. "Uh…" Wrench's mask changed into a sideways glance, and he looked around for an answer. "…lucky guess?"

"Heh…I _knew_ I saw those cameras move. You were watching me." She accused in amusement, and he tossed his head side to side, as if it wasn't a big deal. "You know, most people would find that creepy."

"Luckily DedSec doesn't work with 'most people.'" He quoted in the air with his fingers, his mask mimicking the gesture. It was followed up with a quick wink, and she tried her hardest not to smile at the sight. Though, the corner of her mouth was probably up-tilted if she were being honest.

"Uh huh." Riley wasn't actually upset. In fact, it was rather touching that he'd wanted to make sure things didn't get out of hand while she took care of business. But she couldn't resist teasing him about it.

"I…just thought I'd keep an eye out in case they tried starting arresting you or anything. Luckily they didn't have enough evidence to actually prosecute though so…all is well?"

Riley elected to stare intently at him for several more seconds, before being unable to keep up the charade any longer. She laughed and shook her head. "You're off the hook. This time, at least."

Wrench pretended to sigh in relief, then his happy expression returned. She smiled up at him and he suddenly stood from his seat. "You hungry? I could go for lunch right about now."

Her stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly, and she nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely." So saying, she followed Wrench to the car as he hit the button to open the garage. It rose to the top then ground to a halt. Both hackers piled into the car, with Wrench driving as usual.

"What are you feeling? Pizza, greasy burgers-"

"Chinese." Was her automatic response. She clicked her seatbelt into place, knowing he could drive a little reckless when he wanted to.

He turned two equals signs onto her, hand on the shifter to switch gears. "Seriously. You say that every time."

Riley met his gaze with a small frown. "So?"

"Are you ever _not_ in the mood for Chinese?"

"Nope." Was her confident response, greeting his stare with a wide grin. "The day I don't want Chinese is the day I die."

They held their stare for several seconds before Wrench finally gave up with a sigh, throwing the car into drive. "Are you sure you're not actually Asian and just don't know it?"

Riley laughed as they shot forward out of the garage, pulling into traffic with ease.

* * *

 

Later that day while pacing her living room, Riley finally grabbed her phone and stared at the screen. Bill's contact displayed on the front, her finger hovered over the call button.

Despite having no reservations about calling to put in her 2 weeks, it was still somewhat difficult to press the call button. She'd worked for so long at this job, and this was all it came to? What a joke. Riley had spent sleepless nights in college studying for her degree, had worried her ass off in preparation for the interview. Her first real job. Her first step into enacting her revenge or…whatever she was seeking now. It was her first real step into the adult world on her own. No being a student or relying on the knowledge of others to guide her.

She stared at the screen, finally taking a slow breath to prepare herself. Now, she supposed, the only challenge would be not taking out all of her anger on Bill. The worst part about the whole thing is that she could see what he'd been going for by accepting Blume's bribe. She could understand that from a business—and safety— perspective, it was the best route Bill could see. This only made her feel worse, because Riley felt compelled to sympathize with him. She wanted to retain her anger, to feel like it was justifiable. Curse her desire to see everything from another perspective.

Eventually her phone screen dimmed after she hadn't touched it in awhile. Riley instinctively pressed on the screen to bring it back to full brightness, all the while hitting the call button in doing so. She went to cancel the call but resisted the urge. Better to just get this all over with.

The other line rang for several seconds. Part of her wondered if it would be easier to leave a message rather than talk in person. Was that too unprofessional? Shit, Riley wasn't ever good with leaving voicemails. They always sounded so stiff and formal, like she was reading from a script. Ugh, this was the worst.

The dialing tone finally stopped, and Bill's voice tore through her inner turmoil. She tensed, feeling her fingers tighten around the edge of her phone. _"Riley?"_

The question seemed so guarded and cautious. Like he couldn't be sure it was her. Huh, did he think her dead? Interesting. "Hi Bill."

 _"_ _God, it's…it's great to hear from you. How are you?"_ He asked out of breath. The brunette could only imagine he was struggling to stay standing, gripping a banister or counter to keep himself up either from fear or relief at hearing she was still alive.

"I'm fine," she said neutrally, then decided that she was tired of the niceties, "at least, as fine as I can be given the circumstance."

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_ The uncertainty returned to his voice.

"Well," she took a deep breath, knowing she had to be careful to keep her cool here, "this isn't exactly a social visit, Bill. I'm quitting."

_"_ _You're-what? You're quitting?"_

"Yeah. Consider this my 2 weeks notice. After everything that's happened, I just can't bring myself to work for you or your company anymore."

_"_ _I understand you're frustrated. If this is about the new assignment, Riley, I did all I could to-"_

"Bill, just listen to me."

He was silent, allowing her to continue unimpeded.

She closed her eyes, beginning to pace the floor. "A few weeks ago I was attacked in my own home by the Russian gang, kidnapped and taken to some remote location, and then interrogated about my investigation. I had to spend a week in the hospital because I nearly died."

 _"_ _Jesus…Riley, I…that's…"_ Bill obviously couldn't figure out what he wanted to say or if he should admit any of his secrets. It seemed keeping the secrets won out. He finally settled with, _"Are you ok?"_

"Like I said. As ok as I can be."

Bill must have started to catch onto the underlying bitterness in her tone, because he sighed. _"I don't want to sound cruel or unsympathetic, but you were aware there are risks going into the job. You signed a paper saying you knew you could be put in dangerous situations. I even asked you to stop investigating."_

Riley silently shook her head, pissed off by what he'd said. He continued before she could respond.

_"_ _I feel terrible that all of that happened to you, but you know what sort of profession you work in, Riley. I never want to see my employees hurt. So maybe that's a sign to return back here and take on a less dangerous assignment. You don't have to quit."_

"Yeah I do." She retorted, scowling at the floor. Pants walked into the room, beginning his usual ritual of meowing for his dinner. In a few minutes he'd be too obnoxious to hear the phone properly. Riley wandered back into the living room to give her some space from Pants.

 _"_ _Why?"_ He asked quietly, and Riley lost the desire to retrain her anger any longer.

"You wanna know why?" She asked, letting some of the nastiness seep into her tone. "Because why should I work for someone who's just going to sell me out to the highest bidder? Why would I work for someone who cares less about doing the right thing and more about what sort of profit he'll make from it? Why would I want anything to do with someone who'd take a bribe and then lie to my face about it? Especially when it pertains to my safety!

"I could have died!" She spit vehemently, gesturing to herself even though Bill couldn't see it. "And you know what the bigger slap in the face is? You didn't even try to warn me that I was in danger. You left me to my own devices when I didn't know I was at risk."

He tried saying something but she wasn't having it. "Riley-"

"I've wasted over a year of my life working for you when I could have done anything else more worthwhile. The worst part is that I used to look up to you. I used to think you cared about the job and not the profit. I thought you were genuine. You were like a father to me for a time. But I'm done being used as a pawn, I'm tired of feeling like I have no control, and I'm sick of having to wonder just how valuable I am as a human being rather than an asset to you. I'm done, Bill. I'm just…done."

It felt immensely relieving to have said that all out loud. A heavy weigh had lifted from her shoulders. All her frustrations and anger from this whole situation was out in the open now. She didn't have to try hiding it any longer. It was…freeing.

There was a thick silence over the line. Bill didn't know what to say, but Riley wanted to hear what he finally decided on saying anyway. She'd said her part. What did he have to say about it?

 _"_ _I…never meant…"_ There was a despair, a defeat, to his tone.

Riley felt it want to tug at her heart, but she forced the feeling back and remained unswayed. Wanting him to feel better about all of this would only undo any justification she had for feeling the way she did. This time, Riley wouldn't apologize for feeling slighted.

A sigh, followed by a sniff, and then he spoke again. " _You know?"_

"Yes."

_"_ _How?"_

She decided not to mention DedSec, even though it probably wouldn't make a difference at this point if he knew who she'd associated herself with. "I've got my own sources down here. It wasn't that hard to figure out."

 _"_ _Riley, please understand, I…"_ He choked back a sob, and the brunette steeled herself yet again. Tears wouldn't sway her now. _"Trust me, I never wanted anything to happen to you. They came to me and said they'd prosecute you if I didn't cooperate. They would ruin your life. I thought taking the money would fix everything. I didn't think you'd still continue to investigate…"_

"I wasn't being pulled from my job without doing as much as I could to finish it out." She said bluntly, and he gave a humorless huff.

_"_ _Yeah, maybe I should have figured that…but then he told me that they would take care of it their own way, that I had lost my chance to do it civilly. I didn't know what to do…"_

"You were too much of a coward to admit you'd sold me out, even if it meant protecting me." Was her accusation. He said nothing in return besides giving another sniff of regret. "So just take this conversation as my two weeks. I won't be leaving San Francisco, and you can toss out anything I still have lying around in the office. I don't need them."

 _"_ _I'm so sorry. Please believe me when I say I never wanted this to happen."_ He pleaded.

"I do believe you, Bill. But even if you had good intentions, you still lied to me. You still knowingly allowed me to get hurt. And you didn't even send a get well card while I was in the hospital." She added as a joking after thought. Funny how she could add a bit of humor to this, but it was honestly kind of funny to her now. "I'll anticipate my last check by the end of the month, but please don't ever contact me again."

_"…_ _I understand."_

At least he wasn't begging for her not to go. Maybe he wasn't as big of an asshole as she kept wanting to see him as. He knew her reasons for leaving were justifiable, and he had no defense against it. At least he allowed her to leave with dignity.

"Goodbye, Bill."

 _"_ _Riley…"_ He paused, as if he had something he wanted to say but didn't know if it was appropriate now, then sighed. _"…I wish you the best."_

The brunette hung up the phone and tossed it onto the couch beside her. Now that it was done, she sank down and sat on the carpet, staring in one spot for several moments. For the life of her she couldn't tear her eyes away. Staring at it intently, Riley felt both satisfied and strangely disappointed.


	26. Taking Sides

Riley squinted at the computer screen, feeling her eyes begin to burn from the compounded hours from the past days of sifting through the data. Staring at a screen all day probably wasn't the healthiest decision, but oh well. She wanted to be sure she was reading the document correctly. That same phrase kept coming up throughout the data they'd gathered. At first she hadn't payed it much mind, not sure what it was referring to, but the frequency at which it was mentioned began to shift her attention.

"Huh." She muttered, mostly to herself. Barely an exhalation of breath. However Wrench, who was perched comfortably next to her on the futon he'd procured from some unknown place—she'd decided not to ask— heard her and looked over.

"Got something?"

"Maybe…" She trailed off, doing a search of the phrase in the database to pull up all instances of it in the files. With a few keystrokes, the screen changed to show everything it had found within Tidis' information. It pinged a lot more sources than she'd anticipated. "I keep seeing something called the…'ten year plan.'"

Wrench nodded, mask displaying irritated slants. "Yeah, I've noticed that too." He leaned forward and typed several things onto his own laptop, showing her the screen after a moment. "I'm still narrowing down what it could be."

"They never really specify, but I always see some mention of security along with it." She added helpfully. Wrench's mask became thoughtful, and he delved deeper into whatever he was searching through.

The brunette shook her head, reading line after line of emails exchanged between two executives discussing the plan. They kept saying it was on track, and that investors would be shown the progress in a tour next week. She frowned, putting that to the side for later. Maybe DedSec could interrupt or join the tour. Oh wait. The timestamp on the emails was three weeks ago. It was well past that point. Dammit.

At the corner of her eye, she saw Wrench's mask flicker into exclamation points, before changing into three dots on either side. He was leaning closely into the screen, reading intently. Riley thought to herself how cute he looked, but then wondered what he'd discovered.

"What is it?" She asked after a moment, giving him time to read through everything.

He shook his head slowly. "Technically, 'the goods,'" He quoted in the air with his fingers, "but nothing good." The screen was turned so she could see. It contained a few documents with official seals and titles across the top. Riley realized they were forms submitted for patents.

"What are they for?" She asked, and he sighed with irritated commas on his mask.

"I don't know, they don't say. All it states is that a previously submitted patent from Tidis was approved and filed. No actual patent itself." He gestured helplessly at the screen, no doubt frustrated that he couldn't find anything concrete. "Whatever it is, it's related to military tech though."

Riley frowned, wondering how he knew that, before peering closer at the document and seeing mention of the United States Military approving the designs. "Robotics mixed with the military doesn't sound like a fun mix. Plus, I don't like the thought of Blume becoming weaponized, if that's what this is." She finally said with concern.

"High potential for epic shit, but never used by the right people." Wrench agreed, reaching for his phone with a worried expression. He started tapping out a message. "We should probably let Marcus know. He might want to look into this a bit more. Plus, who knows how close they are to actually completing this plan."

Riley nodded, narrowing her search to things regarding the military to see if they could find anything more about the patents. A few beeps and a quiet whirring noise made her look up to see Wrench Jr. prowling about the garage happily. The face painted on the front panel made it constantly seem like he was smiling, which made her smile too.

Wrench had introduced her to him several days before, showing him off with pride. Like any father would. Riley couldn't help but feel Wrench Jr. was more than just a robot too. Wrench's hand in the programming saw to that. Plus, with the graffiti and the phrases he'd input into his coding, he seemed so much more alive than the automated robots she'd seen used for security or home surveillance. His own entity.

But of course, everyone—and every _thing_ — had their flaws. She watched with interest as he rolled slowly towards one of the pillars, never changing course. Riley raised a brow as Wrench Jr. bumped face first right into the concrete pillar, its expression changing to the angry slashes that Wrench himself used. It backed up a few feet, before turning in place and going a different direction.

The hacker looked up at the noise and produced his own irritated slashes. "Damnit, he's been doing that a lot lately. Must be something with the programming…" So saying, he stood from the futon and wandered over to him.

"Maybe there was an update to the software? It could be interfering with his environmental awareness functions." Riley offered up, setting aside her own laptop and following after him.

"Eh, maybe…" Wrench crouched in front of Wrench Jr. and inspected the front for any damage. "But I swear I broke the connection between him and the network. He shouldn't be receiving regular updates. Junior, off."

"Well…" The brunette trailed off, watching as Wrench Jr. powered down and his creator went around to the other side to open up the panel on the back. "Maybe he actually needs an update?"

"Hmm…" Wrench muttered noncommittally, inspecting the motherboard and all it's wires attached. Riley watched as his head tilted and his mask went back to the default Xs while he concentrated on the hardware. "I'll run a diagnostic anyway. Maybe something will jump out in his coding."

He replaced the motherboard back into the little bot, snapped the panel back into place, then pressed a button at the top to turn him back on. Wrench Jr. flickered to life, chirping a happy tune before the eyes switched into Wrench's normal happy symbols.

"What made you keep him around?" She asked, remembering him telling her how he'd come to get Wrench Jr. He'd originally been a test run to see if they could break the ctOS 2.0 software. Wrench shrugged, patting the little guy on the head affectionately.

"I spent so much time on the paint job, and giving him the voice lines…" The hacker looked down at him with a happy expression, "…that he grew on me. Didn't feel like getting rid of him after that. Besides, he was nice to have around on long days in the garage."

"…but not anymore?" Riley cocked her head. The way he'd said that made it seem like it was in the past.

Wrench flashed her a quick side glance, then winked. "Well, you're around to keep me company now." Was his simple explanation. She smiled, feeling strangely happy that he enjoyed having her nearby all the time. She could feel the pleased blush on her cheeks heating up.

"Well, wasn't that smooth as hell." She joked, reaching over to lightly punch him in the arm, and Wrench laughed under his breath. Those happy ^'s returned to his mask.

"What can I say? It's a talent."

* * *

 

Riley and Wrench had spent the rest of the afternoon looking up as much as they could about these patents, as well as anything having to do with the ten year plan. For as much documentation that mentioned it by name, there was surprisingly little description of what the plan actually was. All they could figure was that numbers and statements from the company weren't adding up after searching through all of their information. As the day wore on, the masked hacker became increasingly frustrated and agitated, concerned with the idea of a top-secret, classified, military patent technology that Tidis kept behind closed doors. He was itching to know what it was.

They had now focused their attention on possible ways of getting inside of Tidis when Ray sauntered his way into the garage. Neither her nor Wrench had been expecting him, and they looked up in surprise as the door shut behind him.

"Nice little place you've got here, amigo." The older man announced, doing a slow turn as he made his way over to them. By his expression, he looked mildly impressed. Or amused. With T-Bone, it was sometimes hard to tell the difference. Wrench's mask displayed two exclamation points and stood, setting down his laptop.

"Ray? What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area…then Marcus let us know you two had a possible lead on something. Thought I'd drop by." He explained, rubbing his hands together before turning his wandering attention back onto them. He seemed excited to find out what they'd found. "Care to share the details?"

Wrench looked to her then shrugged, but Riley responded first. "Well, there's something in a lot of Tidis' emails and documents that mention something called the 'ten year plan.' Nothing specifies exactly what it is, but it's got several military patents that were approved in order to execute it." She explained, navigating over to the documents they'd found. She turned the screen to show him, and he wandered closer to see. He read the contents for several seconds, then shook his head thoughtfully.

"Something about secret projects, they always have an ominous fucking name." He muttered as he gave her some space. Now that he said it out loud, Riley had to admit he was right.

"Wrench wants to find out what it is." She said, and the man in question stepped forward.

"First we have to find a way inside, which won't be so easy." Wrench added, gesturing to his own laptop with a shake of his head. "Tidis is a shit ton more secure than say…!Nvite or Nudle. We can't just send Marcus in to break a few door codes."

"Quite a problem you've got there." Ray agreed, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"I thought the drone would be able to get in through the vents, but everything's sealed up tightly." Riley offered, getting comfortable on the couch again. Her back was starting to hurt from sitting in one position for so long. Stretching out would feel a lot better. "Then we thought about the RC jumper, but it would be spotted almost immediately. There are metal detectors at every front entrance."

"So the question is, how do we penetrate a building we have no foreseeable access to?" Wrench pondered aloud, crossing his arms. "I already tried explaining to her that a few well-placed blocks of C4 would-"

"Alert everyone to what we're doing and get you arrested for sure." Riley finished in amusement. She looked over at his mock glare. "What? Bombs aren't the answer to everything."

Wrench grumbled under his breath and turned his face away. "…they could be…"

She elected to ignore that, and looked over to Ray again. "As you can see we've got the 'what' figured out, we just need the 'how.' Marcus is good, but something like this? How's he supposed to get in with all these security measures?"

"Ain't that the million dollar question." The older man muttered.

They watched as he swept another slow, panning glance around the garage. Wrench Jr. was rolling around at the edge of the space, whirring quietly and enjoying his existence. Ray's eyes narrowed, before pointing towards the little bot.

"You reprogrammed that yourself?" He asked, and Wrench nodded after several seconds, eyes becoming three dots on either side of his mask. What did that have to do with anything? "Maybe we don't have to send Marcus in after all."

"How?" Riley asked, not seeing what sort of connection the older man was trying to make. He walked over to Jr. and patted him gently.

"This little guy is your key inside. Take off the paint, convert him back to a few default programs, and you could probably get him inside. These things roam all over the place inside. It would blend in just fine." Ray said confidently, but Wrench didn't look impressed.

"I mean, I guess, but how would that help us? Marcus still has to get inside somehow. Jr. isn't capable of manual hacks." The hacker explained with a shake of his head. He gestured to the little bot. "He could help us get a visual of inside, but not much else."

"Ah, see, now here comes the fun part." Ray said with a grin. "Put a few parts together and you've got the makings of an EMP. We could take out the main database, and all the entrance codes get set to default. Marcus is in, no problem."

Wrench's suspicion immediate turned aggressive, and he displayed two angry slashes. "Not gonna happen. Jr.'s not going anywhere."

Ray rolled his eyes and gestured to the little bot, blissfully unaware that he was the topic of discussion. "Oh, come on. It's the safest and the best way to get into Tidis. You _want_ to see what they're working on, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Wrench spit with heat, snapping his head up to glare at him. Riley hadn't seen him this angry before. She watched anxiously as Ray seemed unconcerned with just how easily he was pushing Wrench's buttons. Wrench pointed accusingly at the older man. "We're getting that data, but we aren't doing it your way."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Then, please, enlighten me with your idea of a solution." The older man mocked with sarcasm, spreading his arms wide to allow him to speak. The masked hacker stared at him for several seconds in a glare, before turning away. Ray nodded once, acknowledging that Wrench had no other plan. "Now, if you're done arguing, we can start looking for places to get the right parts."

"No one's doing anything." Wrench said, leaning against one of the desks. Riley stood to the side, watching as both men commenced staring angrily at each other, both thinking the other was being ridiculous and petty.

All three of them looked up when the door opened again, revealing Marcus. He took out his headphones when he noticed the obvious animosity in the air. "Ok…something's up. What's going on?"

His gaze settled on Riley, who looked the least angry, but she only grimaced in discomfort. She honestly didn't want to be in this situation.

Marcus met them by the tables, and Wrench began to pace, trying to relieve some of the agitation. Surely Marcus would think the same way as him. He'd procured another ally in this figurative battle. Reinforcements, if you would. "Look, we want to go after Tidis, ok? But-"

"What did you find in the data?" Marcus asked to keep him on track. The man looked like he was rearing to punch something, but also quite concerned about whatever it was he'd found.

He started ticking away at examples on his fingers. "Umm…ok, well let's just say that all the taxes, and the government grants, and the…'research programs'—notice the quotey signs there—" he said, pointing to his mask, "none of it adds up."

Marcus gave him a confused look, prompted him to continue.

"They're collaborating with Blume on something they call the 'Ten Year Plan'—again, quotey signs—which is supposed to improve ctOS security." Wrench said, before his mask flashed question marks for a brief moment, leaning closer to get the meaning across. "Then why are they filing patents on military tech, right?"

Ray jumped in before Marcus could respond, gesturing to him to prove his own point. "Because ctOS is going the way of all control systems. And that's why Junior here is a bot on a mission." He indicated the robot beside them with a smug smile.

"No, he's not! That is not your fucking call!" Wrench pointed at him angrily.

Riley stood to the side, watching as the two of them argued. She didn't know what to say. Obviously Jr. meant a lot to Wrench, and she didn't want him to lose something sentimental or important to him, but she honestly didn't see another way into Tidis. What was she supposed to do? Agree with Wrench because it was something he loved, or be the voice of reason even if it meant taking someone else's side?

Ray narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "What, you think you're just gonna skip right through Tidis' front doors and steal all their dirty secrets?"

Wrench's mask went blank for a split second, before changing into three dots. He didn't answer, unable to come up with a good answer. Riley could see Marcus watching the exchange with slight confusion but major interest. Obviously he was waiting to see if the both of them resolved whatever issue was at hand before he gave his input. Ray continued on.

"Even Uncle Sam buys his biometric locks from Tidis. That's the level of security we're dealing with, amigo."

Wrench threw his hands to the side, latching onto an idea now that he had one. "The palm reader? That's easy. We just need to find a hand. I bet we could get one no problem." Wrench mimed sawing across his arm, and Riley's eyes widened. Thankfully, Marcus had the same thought and said something first.

"Hey, that's your plan? Cut somebody's hand off?"

"Isn't that a little extreme?" She added.

His mask displayed two equals signs. "What? It works."

"Not here." Ray butted in again with a shake of his head. "There are heart rate monitors and infrared scans that check for blood flow. No blood flow, no unlock, no passaran."

"Ok, fine!" Wrench jumped in with a frustrated hand gesture. "Then we get someone—alive—" he emphasized to Marcus, since he'd seemed so concerned with the first plan, "and we get them to open it for us."

Riley looked to Ray, unsurprised when he rolled his eyes. "No. The heart rate monitor will flag if he's nervous.

Wrench clenched his fists together and groaned out his frustration. The mask flashed another irritated expression. Riley could tell he was grasping at straws now. "Ugh, ok! Then we, we, we…inject someone with a…a sedative to bring down their heart rate-"

"For fuck's sake, we already had a working plan here." Ray interjected in exasperation, clearly thinking all of this was a waste of time.

"Not with him!" Wrench shouted, pointing to Jr. A heavy silence filled the garage after that. Marcus was clearly uncomfortable and still slightly confused. Ray looked just as irritated as Wrench, though less angry. Riley wanted to do something to help his anger, but she knew trying to do anything at this point would only make things worse. Especially with an audience. All of her ideas to calm him down involved holding him close, and she knew he wouldn't want anything to do with that with Ray and Marcus around.

"Jr., off." He said quietly, and the little bot powered down. As if Wrench didn't want the little guy hearing anything that was being discussed.

"Awww…" Ray said either out of sarcasm or genuinely thinking it was cute. Most likely the former. Wrench must have thought so too, because he turned those angry slashes at him again.

"Now you listen to me." The masked man said in a threatening tone, taking a few steps closer to the older hacker intimidatingly. Ray stared him in the mask, but otherwise didn't seem affected by the warning in his tone. "You don't get to walk in here like you own the place, ok?"

Wrench pointed towards himself. "This is _my_ garage. _My_ hardware." He then gestured to Jr. who was still shut off. Riley could see Ray was still looking rather smug. Too smug for someone who was supposed to be backing off a bit. It didn't seem like he would.

Seeing no give from the man himself, Wrench rounded onto Marcus to explain, realizing his friend still had no idea what they were referring to. "He wants to turn Jr. into a bomb."

"An EMP bomb, Trojan Horse style." Ray clarified, spreading his hands wide. Marcus' expression cleared, finally understanding what he was so defensive about. Wrench had had Jr. for awhile now, and had grown attached to the little bot.

"We hit the right hardware, fry the database, and the doors reset to the default codes. Easy-fucking-peasy." The man finished, turning to Marcus with a shrug. He obviously didn't see the big deal about it.

"Then all we need is the default." Ray nodded an affirmative, and Marcus crossed his arms, sighing as he thought about it. He really wanted to take Wrench's side. Really, he did. Converting Jr. into an EMP would mean they'd lose control once it was blown, and there was little chance of them getting him back out without security knowing. Most likely they'd be leaving the little guy behind.

At the same time, it made the most sense. They'd be saving time and lowering the risk of getting caught all in one. Logically, it was the right choice, but he knew what the aftermath of agreeing with Ray would be…He turned a careful eye onto Riley, who was observing in just as much discomfort. He was willing to bet she was thinking along the same lines as him.

Marcus turned a pleading expression towards Wrench, trying to be as gentle as he could. "It does work, man."

Wrench slowly turned towards him, and the mask went completely blank. Marcus knew he'd fucked up the moment the emoticons stopped showing. It was Wrench didn't react in a violent manner that you had to worry most. But he genuinely felt like this was the best course of action. Hopefully he could convince his friend of that though.

Ray grinned smugly, then wandered away towards some of the tools on his tables, picking his way through what was available. Riley thought Wrench would yell at him for it, knowing how protective he was of his stuff, but instead he whirled on Marcus and held up a single finger.

"One night. _One_ night in the desert together and the two of you are best friends?" The outrage in his voice was blatant. Marcus said nothing, staring at Wrench tiredly. Obviously this wasn't a matter of favoritism or anything like that, but Wrench was seeing it that way.

"Riley?" He suddenly asked in a gentler voice. He turned towards her to seek some sort of support in all of this, spreading his hands wide in anticipation of her agreement.

The brunette bit the inside of her lip and met his stare, finally grimacing from discomfort. "I mean…Tidis is practically a bunker. What else are we supposed to do to get inside, Wrench?" She asked with a shake of her head. Before she even finished the sentence, he threw up his hands.

"Really? You're _really_ taking their fucking side?" Those angry slashes had never been directly meant for her before, and she found it extremely intimidating and soul-crushing to know he was angry with her. She hated disappointing people after all, but there wasn't anything she could do about it this time. He shook his head, feeling betrayed, and turned back around to face Marcus again. Behind his back, Riley hugged her torso and rubbed at her arms, feeling ashamed for not supporting him.

Wrench gesturing dismissively between Marcus and Ray. "Well, you know what? Go ahead, then. _Go_ ahead and take his side, ok? Whatever. Don't let me get in the way, alright?"

Riley thought that now Wrench was being petty just to irritate the others, as Marcus shook his head. Now it felt like nobody was in the right. She rubbed her forearms, and Ray walked back over to the group.

"Hey, grow the fuck up, son."

 _"_ _The fuck you just say to me?"_ Was Wrench's reply, walking purposely over towards him to start something. Fists were clenched tightly at his sides, and Riley knew full well he was willing and capable of swinging if things continued in this fashion.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Hold on!" Marcus got between them and pushed the pissed off hacker back with his hands on his chest. Wrench swatted them away, but still stopped advancing threateningly towards Ray. Marcus raised his brows and looked like this was almost too much for him to handle.

"Everybody, chill out." He commanded, and thankfully the two men seemed to put enough distance between themselves. They kept quiet this time.

Wrench walked right past Riley like she wasn't even there, bracing himself with both hands against one of the tables. She tried catching his eye to apologize or something, but he purposely turned away. Riley felt another stab at her chest, and just kept to herself after that.

Marcus decided to get them back on track, gesturing towards the little bot in question. "How do we even get him inside?"

Ray wandered closer to Marcus and gave him what looked like a metal file that he'd gotten from Wrench's pile of tools. "Well, first of all, we're gonna have to get rid of all this sh-"

The masked hacker whirled to stare at Ray, daring him to call the graffiti he'd lovingly worked so hard and so long on anything negative. The older man seemed to concede, finally holding up his hands in a disarming way. "-meaningful propaganda." He finished in a more positive way, eliciting no response from Wrench.

Marcus took the tool and nodded, setting to work to remove all of the artwork that adorned the little bot. Ray joined in, the sound of metal scraping against metal now filling the garage. Neither spoke, knowing too much conversation might set Wrench off again.

Riley debated what to do, finally walking closer to her brooding partner with caution. Like he was a lion in a cage, waiting to attack. His arms were crossed, and he kept his gaze away from her. At the very least, though, his mask briefly flickered to a side glance, indicating he at least acknowledged her approach.

"Wrench," she started quietly, testing the waters to see his reaction. He said nothing, not having moved an inch, "I know how much Jr. means to you and everything, but I really think this is the only way we can get into Tidis."

Again, there was no response. She wasn't used to this cold distance between them, this animosity so thick you could hardly breathe in it. Riley didn't like the feeling, but it couldn't be helped now. They'd all decided on a plan. But maybe she could help him understand the need for it.

"Given the circumstances, Marcus would be in a lot of danger trying to get in by himself. I know you don't want anything to happen to him."

He sighed almost inaudibly, but still didn't say anything. But that was still a better sign than nothing at all. At least she knew he was listening.

Riley walked closer, planting herself in his line of sight so he was forced to look at her. However, he only turned his head a different direction. Her lips tightened into a thin line at the nonverbal dismissal, but she trooped on. "Just think about it. Jr. will be going out with almost a literal bang. You couldn't ask for a better end than that, right? He'll be taking out an entire building's network. I'd think you'd be excited it was Jr. that accomplished that."

It seemed her words were beginning to get through to him, because he looked towards the ground for a moment, three dots on his mask as he pondered the idea. Finally he sighed again and stood straighter. "Stop. Guys, stop! Just…keep the paint."

Marcus and Ray halted their task, looking up to him expectantly. Riley stood to the side, wondering what he was gonna say. The anger had been drained from his tone, instead replaced by a reluctant acceptance. Maybe she'd gotten through to him after all.

"When one of these things breaks down, Tidis picks them up from a service depot."

Ray's eyebrows raised, and he smiled. "Oh."

Wrench wouldn't look at him. "That's your way to get him inside."

The older man pointed at Wrench enthusiastically, glad he'd come around to logic and common sense. "That's good. That's very good."

"Nice, Wrench." Marcus said, walking up with a few playful punches to his chest.

"Alright, alright…" Wrench halfheartedly swatted away his hands, standing and walking a few paces away. Riley followed after, watching as he turned to his friend with a raised fist to bump it against his.

"Ready to roll when you are, Marcus." Despite his voice lacking the usual pep and enthusiasm, Riley could tell the offer was still genuine.

Marcus returned the gesture, nodding appreciatively to the masked man. Ray held up his own fist to do the same, but Wrench only glared at him in a side glance, walking away without a word.

He didn't even give Riley a passing glance as he left, brushing her off entirely. He disappeared out the side door, which shut loudly behind him. The brunette lost the small smile she'd grown once Wrench had calmed down and seen the logic in the plan, looking to the side morosely.

Ray wandered off too, obviously having places to be now that the discussion had been handled. Marcus, however, wandered up to Riley and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, offering a smile of his own.

"Give him some time. He'll come around." Was his advice. Riley thought not for the first time that this man had the uncanny ability to read someone so easily, and determine exactly what they needed to hear at that moment.

"Tell me honestly…" She started, expressing her doubts. "Should I have supported him, even though I didn't agree?"

Marcus shook his head. "Nah, you wouldn't have been true to yourself. And he wouldn't appreciate being lied to in the long run. You do need both people supporting each other, don't get me wrong. But it's important that you keep your own opinions and beliefs too."

Riley lowered her eyes to the ground, finally nodding in understanding. What he said made sense. She returned his smile, and he gave her a friendly pat before walking out of the garage himself.

* * *

 

The discussion with Ray and Marcus had been just after noon that day. Riley had left right after that, figuring that giving Wrench some space until he cooled off would be the best plan, like Marcus had said. Trying to talk to him while he was still angry would only do more harm than good. So she'd avoided texting him or calling, knowing if he wanted to talk he'd reach out to her first.

That afternoon had been spent finishing up chores that the brunette had put off for too long. She didn't mind much, though. When there was a lot on her mind, the best remedy was to do busy work. Something she could do mindlessly without requiring a whole lot of thought or awareness.

Because not only was she still feeling anxious about all of the tension between her and Wrench at the moment, she also hadn't come up with a decision about her mother. The brunette's thoughts hopped back and forth between the two issues, until Riley was just confusing herself with inaccurate trains of thought that had no relevance to either topic.

Was she a bad daughter for wanting to let her stay there? Was she a bad girlfriend for not supporting Wrench's love for Jr.? Riley had more than enough money to bail her out, was it selfish not to? How long would it take before he talked to her again? Why did it seem like life was piling all the shit things onto her at once? Hadn't she had enough to deal with after the whole kidnapping thing? This was getting ridiculous.

After awhile, she realized she'd been staring at the same pair of unfolded jeans for some time now, before finally snapping them with a flick of her wrist and finishing the rest of the load.

Riley didn't feel much like eating once dinner time came around. She'd gotten so much done that day that she didn't want to stop now. It felt nice being productive. After the laundry and vacuuming the living room had been finished, she moved onto the bathroom and scrubbed the tub, never having gotten around to it after the Swelter Skelter festival. The sand hadn't been that big of a problem, but there were still flecks around the edges that had never been washed away.

Riley plugged into her music and worked away, only allowing thoughts of Wrench and her mother to invade her mind every once in awhile. This was her time to just relax and enjoy herself, and all these difficult decisions weren't letting her do that.

So the brunette swept the kitchen and cleaned the last few dishes in the sink. The table was wiped down. Her bed was made. Pants' litter box was cleaned out and replaced with fresh litter. When he started meowing loudly as usual, she fed him and he was quick to chow down happily.

She nearly missed the knock at her door as she was mopping the kitchen floor because of her music. The song had just ended, during the brief pause of silence between tracks, when there were a few low taps against the door. She eyed it, frowning. Riley hadn't been expecting any visitors. After the whole Bratva incident, Riley couldn't be too careful, so she propped the handle of the mop against the wall and grabbed the largest knife from her knife block on the counter.

Riley approached the door and looked through the peephole. Seeing the familiar masked figure, she hurriedly put the knife down on the kitchen table and returned to undo the chain lock. It swung open easily, and Wrench tore his eyes from the ground.

"Wrench? What are you doing here?" She asked with concern. His mask displayed sad slashes, and he shuffled his feet on her doormat. Like a scolded child come to take punishment.

"Uh, could I…come in?" He ventured to ask, sounding as if he half expected her to say no. She stepped to the side, allowing him enough room to enter.

"Sure. Don't mind the wet floor. I was just finishing up some mopping."

He stepped by her carefully, watching to see which spots of the floor were wet or not. Riley closed the door behind him and followed him a few steps inside. He seemed uncomfortable, both hands stuffed in his pockets with tense shoulders. He wouldn't look at her.

"Wow, this place looks so clean." He commented neutrally, seeing all the vacuum lines in the living room and the shining surfaces in the kitchen.

"Thanks. I've been at it for a few hours now." She admitted, walking around to put herself in front of him. The mask still showed two sad slashes. She was worried now. "Wrench, what's going on? Talk to me."

He sighed, taking his hands out of his pockets before ultimately putting them back in. Wrench wasn't sure what to do with them. "Look, I'm sorry for…earlier." He started, finally looking back up at her face. "I just felt like nobody was listening to me, especially with Ray being a dick like he was…"

Riley gave him a reassuring smile, shaking her head to dismiss it all. "He was kind of being a hard-ass wasn't he? Not cool."

"And I thought Marcus and…you…would see it the way I did." Wrench explained. "Both of you know how much Jr. means to me."

"I know that, Wrench." She said, moving a bit closer and gently brushing her thumb over his arm. "If there was another way where we didn't have to use Jr. like this, then I'd be all for it. But I honestly can't see any other options for getting into Tidis. Which I know you also want to do."

"Yeah…I just didn't want to accept it. I kept trying to figure out some other way to do it without using him like that." He said, hanging his head. "It's douchey, I know, but I felt like you really just didn't care."

"Do you still feel that way?" She ventured to ask, worried that she'd lost his trust. Thankfully, he shook his head quickly.

"No, it was just in the moment. I've been trying to figure out how to bring it up all day but…ah, fuck, I don't know. I just shouldn't have brushed you off like that. You didn't deserve it."

Riley smiled, stepping forward to wrap her arms around him. "It's not a big deal, Wrench. Don't worry about it." And she meant it. He was just trying to defend his opinion, like Ray had this afternoon. Nobody was in the wrong, though Riley felt that Ray hadn't done a very good job of taking his victory courteously. The man had a tendency to gloat when the opportunity arose. He was a great guy, but like everyone else, he had his flaws.

Wrench returned the embrace and she tucked her head under his chin. They stood like that awhile, and Riley relished the feeling. Despite her previous anxiety, all worries seemed to disappear when he was near. She felt him exhale slowly, relaxing in her grip. Maybe he'd been just as worried as her. Did he think she'd be mad at him or something?

Riley heard Pants meow as he walked into the kitchen from the hallway, and Wrench immediately tensed. However, he didn't pull away even when she felt Pants' furry tail and body brush up against their legs.

Riley began to pull away. "Come on, Pants. Why don't you go-"

"It's fine." Wrench said in a clipped tone as he pulled her back to his chest, almost in pain. "I can deal."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You can't expect me to like him, but I'll learn to tolerate him. He's important to you." Wrench said genuinely, and Riley felt a surge of warmth for the hacker. She gave him a little squeeze, trying to communicate her appreciation without the need for words.

"Hey, if you don't have anywhere to be, do you want to stick around awhile? We can…I don't know, watch a movie or something?" She suggested, eyeing her collection of movies tucked on the shelf of the entertainment center.

"Sure."

"Anything in particular you want to watch?" She asked, pulling away reluctantly. He looked down at her with a happy expression on his mask, then winked.

"We can watch anything you want. As long as it's Predator."

"Fair enough." Riley laughed, pulling him by the hand towards the couch. She was happy to see he reached up to take off his mask in the process. He set it on the side table by the couch and sank into the left cushion while she set up the movie.

The opening credits started to play, and she wandered over to turn off the lights. Then she took her seat beside him, scooting close. Wrench's attention was on the screen, but when Riley lanes in towards him, he turned to look at her quizzically.

She smiled sweetly, feeling bold, and reached out to grab him by the neck of his hoodie. Before he could say anything, Riley closed the distance between them. The kiss was passionate, almost desperate on her part. Despite being caught by surprise, Wrench recovered quickly and snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her tighter to him. She let out a small sigh of relief as they slowly moved their lips against each other.

Her other hand slowly trailed its way through his hair, pushing the hood off of his head in doing so. His fingers tightened against her back, and she was thankful that her ribs were healing nicely from the attack. They still ached occasionally, but she wasn't in too severe pain to have to ask him to stop.

The first lines of the movie began to sound in the background, but both of them had seen it so many times they weren't missing much. Not even Wrench was inclined to stop, too preoccupied with kissing her to care that the movie had actually started. The hand holding his hoodie let go, slowly trailing down his chest underneath the spiked vest. Riley thought she felt him shudder, but it was hard to tell.

They both separated for air, exhaling heavily and fighting for breath just inches from each other. Eyes still closed, they rested their foreheads together as the heat between them began to lessen. Finally, Riley's eyes opened to see Wrench already watching her.

"What was that for?" He asked in a slight amount of confusion, but the pleased glint in his eyes told her it wasn't unwelcome. He was just curious. She smiled, swooping in for a quick, chaste kiss before responding.

"Because I felt like it."

One of his brows raised in surprise, not expecting her to say it so blatantly. Had his mask been on, she imagined they would have shown his exclamation marks of bewilderment. She shifted position and settled herself beside him once again to watch the movie, leaving him to his own thoughts.

She tried keeping the smile at bay, noticing out of the corner of her eye he was trying to discreetly cover his crotch. She felt sort of bad after that, but mostly proud. It was nice to know she could have that effect on him. And, even if she'd forgiven him for pushing her aside that afternoon, she was still petty enough to dish a bit of payback on him. He could suffer through an unwelcome boner through the whole movie.

It was only fair.


	27. Junkyard Heart to Heart

A few days after, Marcus and Wrench went off to infiltrate one of Tidis' electronic facilities to gather the parts for the EMP. He'd calmed down enough about the plan to actively participate in it without getting too grouchy, even offering to deliver Jr. to the depot himself. There was still a lingering animosity between him and Ray, but he was at least being civil. No more yelling, or threatening. Riley'd caught several dirty looks in his direction though, but she figured he needed some way to continue venting, and this was generally pretty low-key. It was tolerable.

Riley was glad he was pretty much back to normal. His easy-going confidence and teasing made things seem comfortable and routine. She, on the other hand, was still distracted and uncertain. The problem of her mother was still left unanswered, and it was pissing her off that she hadn't yet found a solution to all of this. Why was this so difficult?

While the boys were out, Riley had sat up with Sitara at the hackerspace working on their next campaign online. The hacker had noticed an unusual stagnation to their numbers and follower growth patterns, and had asked her to sit in and help investigate. Josh was at home, experimenting with various shrooms he'd purchased online, trying to find one that might help with his symptoms. That left only her and Sitara in the hackerspace that night.

"It's like the numbers just flatline after this last Wednesday." She said, squinting at the analytics of DedSec searches and download rates. Her head shook slowly back and forth, not comprehending what could be causing this.

Riley bit her lip, not wanting to put forth an answer because it might upset the hacker. But…well, better to get it out there, she supposed. It was beneficial to look at all possible variables. "I mean, the public might be getting desensitized to DedSec. We're in the news almost everyday now. They might just be, I don't know…tired of-"

"No, that's not possible." Sitara interrupted with a heated frown. Her fingers froze over the keyboard, looking her way. "DedSec's never been more popular. Our follower count is at its peak, but I know we can bring in more. People are starting to listen. I just don't understand the sudden shift."

The brunette backed off, holding up her hands defensively. She had a feeling Sitara's aggression was her own desire to deny that the brand she'd been working on for so long was losing it's foothold. Riley could understand, especially after everything with Bill and her investigation. There was no one else who could understand as well as Riley could. "It was just an idea, but…ok."

Sitara sighed, schooling her features back into a more neutral expression. She knew the brunette wasn't implying that DedSec wasn't what it used to be, but she couldn't help but bristle at even the mention. It wouldn't be fair by lashing out, though.

They returned to the analytics page, scanning all of the data for any sign of what was causing the problem. Riley pulled up a fresh Nudle tab and typed in DedSec on a whim. Maybe there was some sort of news article or blog page out there slandering their name? Hmm. She tapped enter and scanned the results that came up-

Except there were none.

The whole first page of Nudle didn't pop up a single site with the name DedSec on it. She double checked her spelling in the search bar, then navigated to the second page. Then a few more. Still nothing. The brunette was positive there had been a plethora of pages when she'd first started researching into the hacker group. Now…nothing? Really? That wasn't possible.

"Uh…have you tried searching our name recently?" Riley asked, trying again with a space in between 'Ded' and 'Sec.' Zilch.

"No, why?" The hacker glanced Riley's way, then began her own online search.

Beside her, the brunette waited for Sitara to see the problem herself, watching as the realization hit her. Eyes widened just barely, then a disbelieving shake of her head, the ponytail swinging side to side with the movement.

"Are you fucking…" She muttered, again typing something else into the search. "This is bullshit!"

"What could be causing this?" Riley asked, thinking Sitara may be more familiar with this problem.

"I think…" She paused, doing a few more searches before returning to the analytics page. "…this is some form of censorship. They have to be flagging anything having to do with us and removing the results that would normally show to the public. I can't see it being anything else."

"How are we supposed to fix this?" Riley gestured towards the screen.

Sitara leaned back against the couch cushion and stared up at the ceiling. Letting out a long breath, she turned to Riley. "We could try getting into the servers. There's an extension facility associated with Nudle that helps handle the search analytics." She brought up information on it, showing a map view of the building. It was small and nondescript, and looked to be off the edge of the coast.

"If that's all there is to it…" Riley started, thinking about it another moment, "then I could go."

Sitara shot her a surprised glance. "Really? Are you sure?"

She shrugged, not seeing it as such a big deal. "Yeah. I'd appreciate if you helped me out, but why not?" The rest of them had contributed to missions. Riley was no different. What gave her the right to sit back and watch the others do all the heavy lifting? It didn't feel right.

The hacker thought about it a moment, before a slow smile spread on her lips. She sent the brunette a satisfied grin. "Alright, sounds like a plan. You up for it now?"

She smiled, standing from the couch. "Let's go."

* * *

Riley slowed to a stop just up the street from the building. She didn't want to park right outside, it may draw suspicion. Turning off the vehicle and stepping out, she was careful not to slam the door. It was dark out, with very few people around, and she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself.

"I'm here. Any idea where the server room would be?" She asked through her earpiece, knowing Sitara was listening.

_"_ _Not totally sure. There wasn't much information I could find about this place. My guess? Check the lowest level first."_

Despite having exuded the impression that she was confident about all of this, Riley was internally shaking. There was always the possibility that this could go wrong. She wasn't certain they wouldn't shoot first and think about arresting her afterwards. There was a deep, gut-wrenching feeling of apprehension in her belly as she walked closer to the building.

She let out a long breath, reaching the chain link fence that surrounded the property. Her fingers linked through a few of the gaps, staring inside with hesitation. Swallowing nervously, she looked around for anyone that might possibly be able to spot her. No one was paying her any mind.

"Hey, Sitara? I'm gonna be honest, I'm terrified of going in there." The brunette laughed to try easing her fried nerves. "Probably should have mentioned that beforehand."

The hacker laughed good-naturedly in return. _"I'd be a bit more concerned if you weren't scared at all. Just breathe, and don't worry. You've got me here, so you're not in this alone."_

"Thanks." She said in a breathless voice, feeling a bit better. "That's exactly what I needed to hear."

 _"_ _Always here to help."_ Sitara reassured in amusement.

Giving one more glance towards the street, Riley slotted one boot through a gap and hoisted herself up, scaling the fence while being as quiet as possible. It rattled softly, despite her effort to keep the noise down, but she resisted the impulse to go faster. That would only cause more noise.

Eventually, she made it to the top and swung a leg to the other side. Descending was a bit harder, as she had to grip tightly so as not to lose footing and slip.

Glancing down, she judged the distance and fell away from the fence, dropping to the ground down below. Riley crouched, looking around in the darkness for any sign of patrolling guards or something. However, the outside was empty and silent.

She rose and snuck over to the back. The first thing she'd need is Sitara's guidance on the inside. They'd need to hack into the ctOS panel to get her that access. It wasn't hard to find, sitting unsecured on the back of the building. Hacking in wasn't too hard either.

A few seconds later, she heard Sitara come back over the comms. _"Alright, we're in. I'll see if I can find the servers for you."_

Riley snuck back around to the front entrance. A single light illuminated the area around the door, but that was it. It was probably for safety purposes, but it still made her a little nervous.

"I haven't seen anyone so far. Which is good, don't get me wrong. But it's just a little strange." The brunette mentioned while approaching the entrance. Her experience of video games led her to instinctively fear that there had to be enemies nearby. That was how things always worked.

_"_ _Maybe they only have a skeleton crew for late nights? Not too sure. But don't get too comfortable."_

"I know." Riley said, testing the doorknob and wasn't surprised to find it locked. Dropping to her knees, she pulled out her phone. Inspecting the security panel, she found the manufacture number and started doing her thing. She wasn't as adept as the others when it came to raw hacking, but she was still proficient. Within a minute or so, the red light turned green, and she heard the lock click.

Pushing inside without a sound, she closed the door behind her. The room she entered was only dimly lit, but contained what looked like a security checkpoint. Riley froze, spotting a figure behind the counter.

The person didn't move, and after a moment, the still air was shattered with a loud, guttural snore. Her heart unclenched, and a nervous breath slipped through her lips. Moving quietly across the room towards the door, she slowly turned the knob and was happy to find it unlocked. Some security guard this guy was. Sleeping on the job and leaving the place open to intruders. Someone should report him.

This time, Riley peeked into the next room before entering, seeing a long hallway with several branching doorways on either side. Only half of the lights illuminated it, leaving some spots darker than others.

Distance talking could be heard, and she knew that from here on, things could get dicey if she wasn't careful.

"I'm gonna have to stay quiet from here on. But let me know if you see anything I should know about."

 _"_ _I only see two employees on staff right now."_ Sitara mentioned quietly. _"One in the server room downstairs, and another on the floor you're on. He's in the second room on the left. You'll have to get by him to get to the server room."_

Riley didn't bother answering, not wanting to alert the man closest to her. She eased into the hallway, knowing that Sitara would tell her if she was at risk of being found. Keeping her weight on the front of her feet. She didn't want her sneakers squeaking on the tile.

_"_ _He's facing the doorway, but I might be able to distract him. Give me a sec."_

She sat at the edge of the doorway, waiting for a signal. A small popping sound came from the inside of the room. "What the hell?" The guy inside muttered, then a chair scraped against the floor as he apparently stood. His boots thumped a few times against the floor.

 _"_ _Alright, he isn't looking."_ Sitara said, and Riley rose from her crouch. She couldn't help but glance inside as she passed by, seeing the guy standing by what looked like a thermostat on the wall. He was reaching up to inspect it.

Heart beating rapidly in her chest, she made her way to the stairs at the end of the hallway. It felt like it was audible to anyone close by. How had the guy not heard the terror in her body?

 _"_ _Relax, you're doing fine."_ Sitara reassured, maybe having seen the tension in her shoulders or the fear on her face.

Riley nodded, both to herself and the hacker who was watching through the security cameras. Taking it slow, the brunette slowly descended the wooden steps, praying they wouldn't creak. If they did, hopefully whoever was down here would think it was their coworker and nothing else.

The talking was coming from downstairs. She couldn't make out the words, but the voice obviously belonged to a male. There were pauses in between, so he was most likely on a cell phone.

Reaching the first platform, she peeked around the concrete pillar and spotted the man in question. He was seated in front of a computer, the screen causing her only to see his silhouette with the way she faced him. His cell phone was held up to his ear.

"If I had time to spare, then I'd go, but-…sweetie, work is how I pay the bills. I can't just not show up. They won't care if you're mom's sick. I'm out of vacation days."

Riley's lips pursed together, knowing that if she wanted that data, she'd have to take the guy out first. But if the person on the other line was alerted that something was wrong, they might call the police to her location. The last thing she wanted was a run-in with the authorities. Using his own talking as cover, she closed more distance and hid behind a large, cooling unit that sat against the wall. But she stopped and waited there.

 _"_ _He's distracted. No need to wait."_ Sitara gently reminded, and Riley shook her head.

"Not until the call ends." She whispered as quietly as she could. "Don't want the other person to think something is wrong."

There was a quiet sigh on the other end, Sitara impatiently wanting to get her brand's name unsilenced again. Riley did too, feeling her nerves rise with every second she was in this place where she wasn't supposed to be, but this would be beneficial in the long run. The turtle always beat the rabbit, at least in the story books it did. She reached for her shoulder, where the billiard ball weapon that Marcus had shown her was wrapped, out of the way for mobility, but within easy reach.

The guy slowly swiveled in his chair back and forth, talking to who Riley assumed was his wife. "What? I'm not using this as an excuse to avoid her…alright, so she's not my favorite person in the world, but that doesn't mean I would stoop so low as to…hello? Sweetie?" He straightened, then glanced at his phone. "Dammit…" He muttered.

 _"_ _Problem solved."_ Sitara chirped happily in the earpiece, and Riley rolled her eyes with amusement. Well, she supposed that was one way to do it.

She rose from her crouch behind one of the cooling units and approached behind him. The man was none the wiser as she straightened and lifted her weapon. With a few whips around, she sent it flying towards his head, and it impacted with a dull thud. He let out a strangled groan of surprise, but wasn't capable of much more than that as unconsciousness took him. The force sent him tumbling out of his chair and onto the floor.

 _"_ _Nice one."_ Sitara praised in her ear.

Riley grimaced, hoping that his collapse wasn't loud enough to alert the guy upstairs. "Anything from the guy upstairs?" She asked, wrapping the weapon back around her shoulder and taking the man's place at the computer. The screen was already open to their database, so she wouldn't have to do any brute forcing.

_"_ _Nah, he's got no clue. You're in the clear now."_

"Not until I'm home in my pajamas with a glass of wine." She muttered, searching through the system for anything pertaining to DedSec. It wasn't very user-friendly, clunky and hard to navigate. It seemed you had to be trained on it to really be able to use it efficiently. Still, Riley tried her best, finally finding the most recent entries into the programming.

"I think I've got it here…" The brunette muttered, eyes scanning through the entries one by one, until the name 'DedSec' jumped out at her. She clicked on it, reading the information that accompanied it.

"Yup. Looks like it took effect on Wednesday." She read back, then paused at the last bit associated with the entry. She scoffed. "Surprise, surprise…guess who put forth the request?"

 _"_ _Well, if we're talking Nudle, I'm gonna go with our dear friend Mary Catskill."_ Sitara's tone left little room for doubt that Mary was anything but a friend.

"Bingo. And, if it's from her, I'm willing to bet Dušan's got some part to play in all of this too." Without too much trouble at all, Riley systematically went through and deleted all of the entries that mentioned DedSec or hacking in any sense from the list, effectively removing the censorship all at once. Crazy to think how simple it could be. Just a few keystrokes and you could have so much influence over the general populace. Scary stuff.

 _"_ _Alright, just plant the backdoor and then get out of there."_ Sitara instructed, and the brunette stood from her seat at the computer, the unconscious employee still out cold on the floor beside her.

It took a minute or so to get the backdoor in correctly. Riley had never done something like this before and Sitara had to walk her through it, but they managed. The hacker confirmed that she was receiving data back at the hackerspace, and the job was done. Once that was accomplished, Riley did a self-check, making sure everything was in place, before heading back up the stairs.

She peeked out into the hallway, spotting the man walking in her direction. Maybe he'd heard some sort of commotion. She popped back into the stairway entrance, hidden behind the wall with wide eyes. "Sitara?" She whispered, asking for assistance.

 _"_ _Already on it."_ Was her confirmation.

The seconds ticked by, the footsteps grew louder, and Riley scrambled to quietly unfurl the billiard ball from her shoulder, wanting a weapon handy if the employee reached her entrance. She trusted in her friend's skills, but every mission had risks they couldn't account for. And sometimes people made mistakes.

The air was suddenly pierced with loud music further down. The footsteps stopped short. "The fuck? Maybe this place really is haunted…" The guy wondered to himself, hastily backtracking the way he'd come to see what the commotion was. Riley peeked again and saw him duck into one of the other rooms.

 _"_ _If you're gonna go, do it now!"_ Sitara suggested, snapping her back into action. Riley rose from the stairway and hurried as quietly as she could down the hallway. Her fists clenched when passing by the door the man had gone into, but there was no shout of surprise. He hadn't seen her.

Reaching the door at the end of the hall, she forced herself to open it slowly, remembering at the last minute that the guard on the other side had been asleep. The door eased open without problem, and she rounded the other side, closing it shut with little more than a quiet click.

 _"_ _Oh, shit…"_ She heard Sitara curse in her ear, a split second too late to be of any use.

"Hey!" A male voice shouted right near her. Heart in her throat, Riley's head whipped to the left to see the guard, now awake, standing from his chair. "Who are you? You're not supposed to be here!"

Throwing caution to the wind, she booked it towards the front door. The guard, shouting for her to freeze and struggling to get around the corner of the desk, was now in pursuit.

The brunette burst through the door and sprinted as fast as she could around the side of the building towards where her car was parked. Daring a glance behind her, she saw the guard struggling to keep up, likely a little out of shape and not prepared to go on any sort of foot chase. He brought a radio up to his mouth and stopped running, watching as she continued on.

Huffing out her breaths, she reached the fence and scaled it with no care as to how much noise she was making. All she cared about now was reaching her get away car before the cops got on site. Her sneakers slapped against the sidewalk on the other side of the chains, and she took off down the block.

_"_ _I'm sorry, I didn't have my eye on the front. I was watching the guy behind you to make sure he didn't leave the room before you were out of there."_

"Don't worry about it." Riley said dismissively. Everyone was human, and Sitara didn't have eyes on the back of her head. It was an honest mistake, and she was alright. At least, as alright as she could be. Her ribs were aching painfully.

Nerves going off like crazy, Riley found herself laughing to herself as she grew ragged in breath, finally slowing a bit when it was too much on her lungs and chest. The car was in sight, and she jogged the rest of the way.

"How does Marcus do this all the time?" She asked Sitara in fits of breath. The hacker laughed.

 _"_ _He's pretty legit. Works out a lot in his free time."_ She finished in admiration. Riley smirked, hearing a bit more to that tone that Sitara probably intended. But, being the courteous person she was, Riley didn't ask.

_"_ _Gotta hand it to you, though. That was some quality James Bond-ing."_

"Oh, you know me." She panted, throwing open the driver side door and clambering into the car, already hearing sirens in the distance. "I love to impress."

_"_ _Get your ass back here so we can celebrate."_

As the adrenaline began to fade, Riley shook her head with a rueful smile. "If it's alright, I think I'm gonna head home and get some sleep. I've had enough excitement for one night."

Sitara chuckled. _"Already? There goes my plan to have you sneak into Dušan's office tonight."_

"No thank you." The brunette joked then held back the yawn that was beginning to come on. "Alright, well I'll leave you to it."

_"_ _Nice job tonight. Get some rest, you deserve it."_

"Thanks. Will do."

* * *

Despite her claim that she was tired, Riley was still full of energy. After such a heart-pounding experience, it may be some time before she began actually feeling tired. She'd been able to put off thinking about her mom for most of the day, but now that she was alone again, it wasn't easy. Plus, even if she wanted to, Wrench wasn't around to talk to. Texting him while he was on a mission probably wasn't the best idea. She didn't want to distract him during something important or dangerous.

The idea of going home and just laying there, staring up at her bedroom ceiling, or even just watching a movie she'd seen a million times, wasn't appealing. Thoughts of her mother would ruin any peaceful mood she was in. Maybe it was time to stop putting it aside, hoping it would solve itself, and just sit down until she figured this out. For as long as it needed.

Riley hadn't made it home yet when she remembered the junkyard Wrench had taken her to before. It was quiet. Out of the way. Nobody around, and she could destroy stuff in the meantime while she thought. A good place to unwind and do a bit of soul-searching. Maybe that was why he liked it so much.

The brunette hoped he wouldn't be too upset if she used his secret spot for herself just this once. It wasn't like he'd specifically told her that she couldn't go there without him, and besides, he was away on a mission. How would he even know? The more she played with the idea, the more it felt right.

Acting on her sudden whim, she switched pulled suddenly into the left turn lane, heading towards the junkyard.

* * *

The junkyard looked largely the same as the first time she'd seen it. It took a little bit of effort to scale the fence without Wrench's help, especially after her adrenaline-filled adventure earlier, but she finally hopped over after a few minutes time.

The brunette used her phone's flashlight to find the path that Wrench had guided her down the first time, finally coming across the open space with the shed and the truck. She stood there, feeling strangely comfortable surrounded by junk and useless parts. It held a fond memory. The two baseball bats had been put back in the shed, and she retrieved hers from within.

The cooler night air helped to clear her head as she searched for trinkets to break. Watching for sharp edges and hidden spiders, Riley picked a few trinkets here and there, then brought them over to the center of the clearing. Placing them carefully apart from each other, she backed away and measured them up.

Her mind began to wander, to many things, all troubling. Was it wrong of her to consider bailing her out? Come on, it had to be a stupid idea. The woman had abused her for so long! Riley had been depressed for a long time afterwards. She'd had a lot of self-esteem issues, before deciding she wasn't going to take any more. It had changed a part of herself, not for the better.

 _Smash!_ The porcelain teapot shattered into dozens of pieces

The mother she'd known—the kind, caring woman who'd gone to all of Riley's games and recitals and field trips, who'd read her bedtime stories and guided her around the neighborhood on Halloween, who'd do puzzles all night long in the summers with her, who'd told her many times that she was the best thing that had ever happened to her—was that woman still in there somewhere? They'd both gone through a horrible trauma, and maybe this was just the only way her mother knew how to cope. Maybe she just needed some help to pick herself back up again.

 _Crash!_ The bat descended onto a headlight that had at one time been attached to a vehicle. The glass spiderwebbed and was indented inward, but didn't shatter entirely.

Yeah, but what had she done for her? Abused her, humiliated her, emotionally tore her to shreds as a teenager. Then after that, when she'd left that terrible situation, the woman hadn't even bothered looking for Riley. Did she even care? Hell, did she even still realize she still had a daughter somewhere out there? For all Riley knew, maybe she thought she was dead or something.

 _Bam!_ What used to be a sewing machine now lay in pieces at her feet. The plastic was dented in and broken, and the spindles which held the thread were bent and broken off.

But what sort of daughter would she be if she didn't at least try? Maybe her mother had tried to find her, tried to reach out, but Riley didn't know it? Was she betraying her family by letting her stay in prison? Did that make her just as bad as the woman she'd hated for awhile?

 _Crack!_ The plastic frame of a computer tower not sported a sizable dent in the top. A few more swings and it was bent and misshapen, before being unable to support itself any longer and fell over. Even after it was collapsed pathetically on the ground, Riley continued beating it with her metal weapon, working out all of the pent-up nerves and indecision she had in her body.

This left her panting in spent exertion after a few moments. Riley just…didn't know. There was always two sides to every story. Was she being a bad daughter by wanting to ignore her mother's side of it? Was it worth more to her sanity to keep away? Surely, she'd regret doing nothing and turning her back on the woman who had given her life. But what would it cost her?

* * *

"Welcome back, boys." Sitara called, as Wrench and Marcus stepped into the hackerspace. "How'd it go?"

"Jr.'s primed and ready, waiting for Tidis to pick him up at the depot." Wrench reported with a happy expression. "Should be able to activate him in a few days on the next scheduled pick up."

"And, I managed to snag a few extra parts, just in case we need them in the future." Marcus added, pulling out a few components from his messenger bag. Sitara nodded in approval at the both of them, relaxing deeper into the couch.

"Nice work. There's a few beers in the fridge if you'd like to unwind." She suggested, gesturing over to the mini fridge in the corner.

"Don't mind if I do." Marcus rubbed his hands together in anticipation, already on his way over. Normally Wrench was all for a beer when offered, but instead he turned to Sitara with question marks in his eyes, and she was willing to bet she already knew what he was going to ask.

"Did Riley go home?"

Of course. Sitara smiled and nodded. "Yeah, after helping me get rid of that stupid censor she was pretty tired."

"Censor?" Marcus asked from the fridge, twisting off the cap of his bottle. "What censor?"

She turned to look at him. "We found out Nudle had put a block on searches having anything to do with DedSec, so she helped me look into it. Long story short, she ninja-d her way into the off-site servers and installed a-"

"She _what?_ " Wrench's mask flashed two large squares, then exclamation points.

"Don't make me repeat myself." The hacker raised a brow, not amused.

"I mean, I get that she helped you but… _why_ was she the one going in there?"

Sitara shrugged, not seeing the big deal. "DedSec was being silenced. Our search numbers and download rates were dropping. Riley offered to help, and so she went to the server to erase the censor and install a backdoor. Everything went fine."

"Please, _please_ tell me," he practically begged, hands pressed together and wide circles on his mask, "that you didn't let her go alone."

"Wrench," Sitara started, shaking her head and spreading her hands wide, "I was right here watching the cameras the whole time. She did fine."

"What if something had gone wrong?" He pressed, the circles flicking over to irritated apostrophes. "What then? She'd have been all alone with no one around to help."

Marcus stepped forward, laying a hand on her arm. "Hey, relax man. Sitara had her back. Besides, It's no different from her doing recon with you on a mission."

"Yes, it is!" He defended loudly, but was met with incredulous looks from both of his compatriots.

Marcus shook his head. "No, it really isn't. Riley's a part of DedSec just like the rest of us. No leaders, remember? She can do whatever the hell she feels like when she feels like it."

"But-"

Sitara stood, interrupting him. "You can't keep her cooped up here while you go and take on all the missions, Wrench." The hacker reasoned with a calming hand on his shoulder. "Riley wants to be helpful. And it's not like she's taking unnecessary risks or anything. She's smart about it."

Wrench shook his head, but his argument was quickly losing momentum. He knew that. Sitara and Marcus knew that. He'd fight it nonetheless. "She doesn't need to take risks to be helpful. It's safer here, and after what happened…" He trailed off, face turned towards the ground with three dots on either side of his mask.

Marcus sighed. Obviously there was still some lingering guilt about the whole kidnapping thing. "I understand, but locking her away isn't the answer. You gotta trust that she knows how to rely on herself too."

Wrench was quiet, finally nodding his acceptance. He didn't have to like it, but it was true. He couldn't dictate Riley's life, no matter how much he convinced himself it was in her best interests. And if he were being honest, his own reckless disposition was probably rubbing off on her.

* * *

After another half hour of smashing shit to pieces, Riley was worn out. Arms shaking with exhaustion, she slowly let the tip of the bat fall to the ground, dropping it entirely after a few minutes of standing there, staring at the destruction she'd caused. The ground was littered with broken glass, porcelain, plastic pieces, and even some metal bits that had flown off. The muscles in her legs feeling like jelly, Riley wandered over to the rusted pick up truck she'd sat on last time, opening the tailgate and hopping up onto it.

Just like she had that first night, the brunette lay back in the truck bed and stared up at the sky. The stars were just as dim and difficult to pinpoint as before, but it was the sky she was so used to. A few brighter out of the bunch stood out in random spots. One moving light slowly made its way horizontally across the sky. A plane.

Her eyes followed its path for awhile, until it was at the very edge of her vision and began to hurt her eyes. Closing them and shaking her head, she resorted to staring up straight ahead again.

What would her father do? Even after all this time, she tried not thinking about him too much. Time was the best healer, but it wasn't perfect and there'd always be lingering pain. If only he was still here. None of this would have ever happened. They'd still be one big, happy family. Riley probably would have gone to a respectable college in a field of study that would put her in a higher place in life, her mom and dad would still be happily married, normal people. The only thing she'd have to worry about was making it home for Christmas and Thanksgiving to celebrate, and she'd have friends and be well respected-

Riley stopped herself, realizing that she had that now. The friends she'd made in DedSec were the closest she ever remembered having. They respected her, wished for her wellbeing, and all looked out for each other. What more could she have asked for in a friend?

And Wrench…chances are, if things had turned out differently, Riley never would have met Wrench. She smiled, thinking that despite her childhood having been a shit show after the age of 15, life had a way of compensating for the bad with the best it could give.

The brunette sighed, realizing she had gone off on another tangent and wasn't focusing on the problem at hand. Her mother. It was no use wondering what could have been. Reality was her father was gone. This was only her decision, and the influence of a dead man shouldn't have any sway on it.

"Riley?"

The brunette was startled at the sound of her own name, and she sat up in a rush. Her first thought had been that it was the junkyard owner, come to see what all the noise had been, but it was only Wrench, slowly approaching her from the path back towards the entrance.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, question marks flashing on his mask before being replaced by a concerned expression. She let out the intake of air that had immediately filled her lungs at the thought of being caught trespassing where she didn't belong.

"Yeah, I'm alright…" Then, she frowned with a tilt of her head. "Why are you here?"

"When we got back to the hackerspace Sitara said you'd gone home." He explained with a shrug. "I tried calling on your earpiece, but you'd turned it off. So I…sort of…tracked your phone and saw the GPS pinged here."

"Why?"

Wrench looked off to the side in discomfort, rubbing the back of his head. "She told me you'd gone on a mission by yourself and…I got worried."

Despite her turbulent mood, she managed a small, tilted smile at his admission. He walked closer until he was standing in front of where she sat on the truck bed, legs dangling over the edge. "I appreciate the concern."

It seemed Wrench hadn't quite believed her though, because he shook his head. "Seriously, what is going on with you? Ever since we tapped into the satellite data you've been acting different."

Riley raised a brow, genuinely surprised. She thought she'd been pretty good at concealing the fact that something was bothering her. "I have?"

The hacker let out a huff, crossing his arms. "Yeah, like big time. You've been spacing out, keeping to yourself. You don't talk as much. And you've been really tired lately."

"Oh." Was all she could say. Maybe she hadn't been as discreet as she'd thought. Her gaze lowered, and she dipped her head down. A pang of shame sparked through her. Had she been bringing the rest of the group down too? Without knowing it?

The sad slashes returned to his mask and he gently lifted her chin with one hand, dragging her gaze back up to his. "Riley, please tell me what's wrong. Whatever it is, I want to help fix it."

She stared into his mask for a moment, before shrugging and glancing away again. "It's not anything you can fix, really."

"Ok, then what is it?" He asked.

"You have to promise not to say anything until I tell you everything, ok?"

He tilted his head, obviously confused, but nodded his agreement. Riley patted the spot beside her on the truck bed, and Wrench took the invitation, hopping up to sit nest to her. He watched her expectantly.

The brunette sighed, trying to figure out where to start. "When we went through the satellite data, it reminded me that I hadn't checked on my mom in awhile. I try to every month or so, just to keep tabs. Like I told you before." Wrench nodded, remembering their conversation on the rooftop.

When I did, I saw that she had been arrested for…a whole bunch of things." Her head shook tiredly, too lazy to name them all. "When it all comes down to it, I can afford to post her bail, but I don't know if I should."

She saw his mask change, but she held up a hand. "I'm not finished. Just…hear me out on both sides."

It flashed two equals signs in frustration, but he kept his word and said nothing, gesturing for her to continue.

Riley shrugged, crossing her arms and slowly kicking her legs back and forth to release some of her tension. "On one hand, she abused me for several years. That had lasting effects for a long time. And maybe some that still linger. I don't know…I just…don't know if I have it in me to forgive her for that, or if I even should."

She gestured with one of her hands, tossing it carelessly. "On the other, up until my dad killed himself, she'd been a great mom. I have so many fond memories of her as a kid. It's the only thing I have left of her, the memories. And a part of me likes to think that if I give her another chance, it could go back to the way it was. That maybe I could have my mom back…"

Wrench still kept quiet, though he looked like he really wanted to say something.

Her head shook minutely, and she stared down at her hands, which fidgeted nervously. "I've been trying to figure out what I should do all week, but…I just don't know for sure. I feel like a terrible daughter for not trying. At the same time, I'm tired of having to keep tabs on her, wondering if she was alright or not."

She trailed off, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes. They didn't fall, but her vision blurred and her face flushed with heat. There was several moments of silence between them, nothing but the sound of the gentle wind to disturb the quiet. Finally, the brunette looked up at him with glassy eyes, searching for some sort of answer.

"What am I supposed to do?"

Wrench let out a heavy breath, and he gestured helplessly with his hands. "If you ask me, it shouldn't be your responsibility to make sure she's living the straight and narrow. I mean, she's _your_ mother for fuck's sake. That's what _she's_ supposed to be doing." He concluded logically.

The brunette shrugged. "Yeah, but…family is supposed to support each other when they're at their lowest."

"Riley," he started in a tired voice, "in what way has she done that for you since your dad died?"

The question caught her off guard. Her mouth opened reflexively to answer, but it closed after really thinking about it. The truth was obvious, but uncomfortable to admit. If she were being completely truthful, her mother hadn't done a single thing that family should do since everything had gone to shit. Riley had had to rely on herself since then, and nobody else. Sure, there'd been temporary friends and colleagues to help through shortly afterwards, but they eventually faded away and gone their separate ways.

The first tears started to fall, gently sliding down her cheeks. "She hasn't…" Was her answer, barely above a whisper.

"Family means continuous and unconditional support, not the occasional favor to pay." He emphasized, reaching up to wipe away the moisture on her cheeks. She took comfort from the roughness of his hands. They felt safe. Like home. "If she hasn't offered that to you in any way, why the hell should you give her the same courtesy?"

There wasn't a good answer to that, because what he said made total sense. And yet there was still the tiny, emotionally fueled and illogical hope that there still was a chance for her to change. A part of her felt the need to defend her, in some small way.

"She used to be good." Riley sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Before my dad died, she was a great mom. Did all the things a mom should. She was my role model growing up, and she always encouraged me to do my best and strive for anything I wanted to do. And it was like that for 15 years…it's sometimes hard to believe everything that happened afterwards."

"Riley, she abused you. There's no fucking justification for that."

And that was the crux of the matter. "I know." She admitted, drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. "It should all make sense. It should be an easy decision. But I still wonder if I'd regret letting her stay there."

He shook his head. "You need to stop seeing every argument from the other person's perspective. You'll never be able to justify your own feelings that way. It's not a bad thing to be selfish every once in awhile. Do something for your own benefit for once, without thinking about someone else." He advised, and she shrugged noncommittally.

Wrench sighed again, letting another silence sit between them. Neither looked at the other, both wondering what to say next. It wasn't exactly tense, just unsure. What else was there to say, really?

Riley was busy turning the wheels in her head, a small idea forming. Maybe it would help her decide, and also answer all of the questions she didn't know the answer to. "You know…maybe I should visit her."

Wrench looked at her quickly. "I don't know if that's a good-"

"Just hear me out." She begged, and he finally nodded. "I can see her face to face. I can ask her everything I want to know, and really get a judge on her character. Then, I can decide what I want to do."

"It could still come back to bite you in the ass." He reasoned with a shrug. "People like that are damn good at manipulating people into feeling sorry for them. And I…I don't want you to get hurt again because of her."

Riley nodded, but turned to look at him again. "Yeah, you may be right. But at that point you've just gotta trust that I know what I'm doing."

"It's not you I have doubts in. It's her."

She managed a small smile, reaching over to hold his hand in hers. "Wrench, just believe that I'll be ok this one time. That's all that I ask. I didn't suggest it so I could put myself in a situation where she could have the upper hand. I want to do this so that no matter what my choice is, I won't walk away from it with regrets for the rest of my life. Ok?"

Even with the mask on, she could practically see the argument wanting to spring from his lips. His mask changed into three dots on either side as he thought about what to respond with. She still held onto his hand, squeezing in reassurance.

He laced them tighter together, before finally giving her a single nod, and switching the mask back to Xs again. "Ok. I want you to know I'm not too enthusiastic about this plan, but if it's what you want to do, I won't stop you."

"Thank you." She said, leaning in to wrap him in a tight hug. He returned the gesture, wrapping her body in his own warmth. The wind had seemed to pick up, chilling her skin.

They shared this moment for as long as they could, before she pulled away and looked up at him once more. She smiled again. "I don't know if I've ever said it, but I wanted you to know that I'm really glad I met and joined DedSec. They are a type of family to me, and I'm glad we all support each other."

Wrench stared down at her, before reaching up to his mask. Riley watched as he took it off with care, setting it on the truck bed beside them. Her eyes took in his features again, relishing every moment they were visible, and she felt her heart clench as his hands reached up to cradle her face.

"Me too." He said, closing his eyes as the distance between their lips disappeared.

Riley rested one hand on his thigh for support, closing her own eyes. Wrench lead them in a slow, meaningful kiss that left her feeling so satisfied and fulfilled. It was all the reassurance she'd needed that he wasn't going to be deterred by her baggage. Other boyfriends had found it difficult to work around anything to do with her abusive mother and deceased father. But Wrench was obviously different.

His thumbs brushed away the last of the tear trails underneath her eyes, before his fingers slowly trailed back to comb through her brown hair. There was no rush, and even as the seconds ticked by, the kiss became no more heated than it had started as. This wasn't to fulfill any sort of carnal need, or feed the flames of desire. Rather, it was a promise not needing to be spoken, that the both of them would continue to support each other in whatever way they could.

Finally, both greedy for air, they separated, slowly gaining their breaths back in the space between them. Riley went back to hugging his chest tightly, the spiked vest be damned. He made her feel so safe and secure, she never wanted to let go. Her mind was put at ease, satisfied that she had a plan of action in regards to her mother.

And as her thoughts settled, so did the sleepiness that had been waiting for the adrenaline to wear off. She let out a long yawn against his chest, and he chuckled softly.

"Sleepy?"

"Mhmm." She muttered, barely loud enough for him to hear. He felt more than heard it. Gingerly, he unwrapped her arms from him and held her hands in his.

"Let's get you home."


	28. A Place I Once Called Home

Airports were always a mess. Especially San Francisco's airports.

Riley loved flying. Traveling on airplanes had always been a fun experience for her, even as a kid. Her parents hadn't ever needed to travel for work, and they couldn't afford an awful lot so they didn't do it often, but enough to remember. It always preceded a vacation or new place she had never seen before. It broke routine in a way that left you excited for what happened afterwards.

However, despite her general good mood towards using the airports to travel, actually getting to the gate was sometimes a nightmare. And by sometimes, she meant every single time without fail. Security was a pain in the neck, especially if you brought electronics with you like Riley always did. Taking them out of your suitcase and running them separately through the screener was a hassle, and then you had to pack it all back up on the other side. How had they not streamlined this process by now? It was 2018.

After having to stand with her arms to either side above her head, and legs apart uncomfortably, they gave her the go-ahead to proceed through. Holding back the frustrated huff and dirty look at the TSA agent who'd been rushing her to take off her shoes, Riley grabbed her suitcase from the rolling belt and walked away, holding her shoes and all of her stuff.

She sat on a bench just past the security checkpoint, putting her shoes back on and re-buckling her belt. Other travelers were doing the same around her with varying degrees of frustrated expressions. Seemed nobody liked this part of the traveling process. But it was always interesting to see the variety of different people and their destinations in airports. You saw so many different cultures and individuals in all walks of life.

Finished getting her stuff in order, she grabbed her suitcase and released the handle so she could wheel it behind her. Overhead, an intercom system notified the airport patrons of any gate changes and departure time delays. In front of her, two sets of escalators adjoined this floor to the one above, which just so happened to be the main food court as well. The thought of food reminded that the last time she ate was early, early that morning, while she'd been spending the last little bit of her time with Wrench.

He wouldn't have been able to go through security with her at the airport with his mask, and it was too heavily populated for him to feel comfortable enough to take it off, so they'd hung out at his garage together until she had to leave. A 2 am McDonald's breakfast and a long debate about the pros and cons of both Marvel and DC. The perfect send off, in Riley's opinion.

It had ended much too quickly in her opinion, and by 4:45 she was out the door. Well, when it all came down to it, that wasn't quite true. Wrench had pulled her back inside for a proper goodbye and refused to let go until he was satisfied. With hair slightly mussed and lips swollen from being kissed at length, Riley _actually_ left his garage closer to 5, an amused and smug-looking Wrench watching her leave.

Her stomach growled again, and she swept her gaze across the numerous food establishments that lined the large central hub of the airport. Hundreds of people milled about, either intent on getting to their gate, or just wandering around to wait for their flight. It was packed, even this early in the morning. San Francisco wasn't LAX, but it was still a big transportation hub.

All different sorts of smells of heavenly food wafted through the air, and the brunette couldn't pick which one she wanted. And then, the all too familiar ambrosia scent of teriyaki sauce and chicken beckoned her closer, and she made a beeline for the closest Chinese place that they had. Mouth watering, she was nearly too impatient to even stand in line while they made the food. It was with great joy and excitement that Riley took the finished food and sat down at the nearest unoccupied table to eat.

it was already about 6, and her plane left at 8. Riley hated even the possibility of being late for things, resulting in her extreme earliness to the airport. Plus, it was nice to have some time to unwind after going through the hectic security and before boarding the plane itself. Taking her time to eat and relax, she pulled out her phone and saw two messages. One from Wrench, and one from Sitara.

_What am I supposed to do while you're away? Wrench Jr. is gone, and Marcus has been spending a suspicious amount of time with Sitara. And I'd rather eat a jar of nails than spend some 'quality time' with Ray right now. -.-_

Riley grinned, shaking her head as she typed out a response.

**Maybe go out and meet new friends? Or go blow something up! That always cheers you up.**

_Yeah, but who's gonna see it if you're not around?_

**I'm sure if the explosion is big enough, somebody in San Francisco will see it. ^_^**

_…_ _or, I make it big enough to make headlines, and then you'll see it in the news._

**That sounds like it has a high possibility of failing. And sort of dangerous.**

_Isn't that the point though? ~.^_

**Are you trying to worry me so much I don't leave?**

_I hadn't thought about it but…you know, that might actually work!_

**If I come back to the city and everything's on fire, you're gonna be in big trouble.**

_You won't be able to stop me if you leave~_

**Ugh. You're impossible.**

She shook her head, rolling her eyes in amusement at Wrench. He was sometimes too much. But he meant well. Most of the time. Hopefully. Switching over to Sitara's message, she smiled warmly.

_Good luck with your mom, Riley, but just be careful. I promised Wrench I'd remind you that you've got a family here too. DedSec's always here to support you._

**Thanks! Keep me in the loop of everything going on down here while I'm away!**

_You bet. ;)_

Finishing up the last of her meal, the brunette shut off her phone screen and stood. Grabbing her suitcase, she located the nearest trash can to throw away the remnants of her food, then headed off towards her correct gate.

She'd only been to this airport once before, when she first had moved here for her job a few years ago. At the time, the brunette hadn't paid much attention to the layout or interior design of the place, having been both excited and nervous to start anew in an unfamiliar city with a brand new career path ahead of her. But now that she wasn't in any sort of rush to pass through and she was a resident of this fine city, Riley took her time looking around, seeing the sights, and actually enjoying the building's aesthetic.

It was wide and spacious, ensuring enough room for so many travelers. Large windows on either side of the building let a flood of natural light inside, making it just bright enough to see without becoming annoying. The large expanse created a sort of pleasing echo to the natural hubbub that the crowds caused. The scent of plastic and a mixture of many individuals' perfumes and natural scents hung heavy in the air, as well as cheap and convenient snack food that was so infamous in these places.

Her suitcase rolling evenly behind her, Riley looked for the nearest kiosk that would help direct her towards where her gate was. She spotted one sitting in the middle of the connecting hallway, and she approached eagerly.

Placing a finger where she was located, she traced the path towards the correct gate on the map and then turn in place, orienting what was on the board to where she was supposed to go. It probably looked like she had no clue where to go, but that was alright. Lots of people got lost in places like these. It wasn't uncommon. And she'd rather look like an idiot in front of the thing that could solve her problem rather than wandering blindly around the airport and constantly having to backtrack.

Having a pretty good idea of where to go now, she grabbed the handle to her case again and began walking. Even this far towards the gates, she still saw convenient stores and other novelty merchandise shops set up on either side of the corridor. Most had ridiculously priced electronics and other things that a traveler may have forgotten while they were away, or may want to enjoy while up in the air, but Riley had remembered everything she needed. Although, that spa place did look rather appealing, watching as the customer had a professional kneading expertly into her back, looking extremely relaxed.

Shaking her head, she turned her head and continued on.

* * *

"Gate 324, Section 2, is now boarding." The flight attendant's voice was projected over the intercom in the flight's waiting area.

Even with her headphones on, Riley was able to hear the loud announcement, and she took out the earbuds, tugging on the cord so it would retract around her neck. She shut off her phone, stopping the music she'd been listening to, and stuffed it in her pocket. With a painful groan, her knees sore from sitting crosslegged on the floor for so long, the brunette stood, arching her back to pop it.

Dozens of people began to rise from their seats and head towards the door leading out to the airplane. A long, narrow hallway lay behind it, and the attendant stood at the entrance, taking tickets from passengers and scanning them in the system to make sure all was in order. She took her place in the line and held up her own boarding pass, excited energy suddenly coursing its way through her. She had managed to secure a window in the middle area of the plan. Her favorite spot. She was minutes away from sitting in it.

The line slowly moved forward, one person at a time. The scanner beeped as each pass was scanned, and the attendant waved them through. The noise had picked up dramatically when the boarding process had been announced, and Riley blindly listened to the humdrum around her. Mothers were checking on babies and young children, wrangling them into order in line. Teens with backpacks and nothing else tapped their feet to the sound of their music, or obliviously messed around on their phones.

Finally, it was RIley's turn to the gate. She presented her pass and the attendant scanned it. The light beeped green, and she was flashed a smile. Returning it, she accepted the pass back and walked past her down the door towards the plane.

Even though the cabin had yet to be pressurized for flight, it still felt so much smaller, like the air was pressing down on you, as soon as she stepped inside. The high-pitched whir of the turbines outside made her ears feel like they needed to pop. It was annoying, but there was nothing to be done about it.

As with all airplanes, it was a tight fit walking down the middle aisle between the seats, but luckily not too many people had boarded yet. She was able to navigate her way to her row without too much trouble, only having to shimmy past one person stuffing their suitcase into the overhead compartment.

At row 11, she stopped and tucked the handle of her suitcase into the top. It snapped in place, holding fast. Working quickly so as not to hold up the line of people behind her, she hefted up the suitcase and maneuvered it into the corner of the overhead compartment so it would still leave room for others. Then, she sidestepped into the row and took her seat by the window.

She tossed her purse under the seat, shifting in place to get comfortable. Sighing with relief, she watched as the rest of the passengers proceeded down the aisles to the rows further back, leaving her by herself for the time being.

Her first action was to pull out her phone and check the battery level. Thankfully she'd thought to bring her portable charger, because it was already sitting at 43%. Pulling the little device from her purse, she plugged it in and unlocked her phone.

She'd promised Wrench that she'd text him when she got on the plane. It would be the last time they could speak for at least 7 hours. It was a long flight to the Newark Airport nearest to Brooklyn. She began typing out a message then, pausing halfway through, Riley deleted it all and plugged in one side of her headphones, tapping over to her contacts button. She scrolled down the list and tapped Wrench's name, then the call button. Holding it close to her face, she waited as it rang a few times.

_"_ _Hello?"_

"Hey, just wanted to check in." Riley said quietly, conscious of all of the other people in the cabin with her. She didn't want to be too loud and disruptive. Not to mention, she didn't want everyone listening in on her conversation. "I just boarded the plane."

" _Oh, nice."_ Wrench said, slightly confused. She frowned.

"What?"

" ** _What_** _what?"_

She rolled her eyes, deciding to stop that train before it could begin. "You just sound super…confused. I don't know. Is something wrong?"  
 _"No, I just expected a text. Because now I don't know what to say and I've gone and made things awkward."_ He laughed nervously, obviously rambling in the space he didn't know what else to fill it with.

Riley smiled. He was pretty cute without realizing it. "Heh, don't worry about it. I guess I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice again before we took off. It'll just be me and AC/DC for the next 7 hours and I know I'll miss it."

 _"_ _That was pretty cheesy. But nonetheless effective."_ Wrench's confusion and anxiety seemed to wane slightly, grasping at her attempts at humor as a familiar coping mechanism for conversing. _"Besides, 7 hours isn't that long. You'll let me know when you land, right?"_

"Of course, you worrywart." She said with a smirk.

Wrench scoffed. " _It's not that ridiculous of me to be worried about you, considering we've both been taken against our will by some form of gang or government."_

That stopped her short, and she tossed her head side to side, finally conceding the point. "Ok, you have a point."

 _"_ _Even though I doubt the FBI or Bratva will travel all the way to New York to try getting to you, that still leaves the possibility of getting jumped. So just watch yourself."_ He said in an amused but also semi-serious tone. He was trying to make it sound light-hearted, but deep down she knew he was a little nervous watching her leave on her own.

It was a good thing she was a big girl and could take care of herself. Most of the time. And despite his endless worrying, Wrench knew that too. Otherwise he wouldn't have allowed her to go in the first place. Riley was glad he held enough trust in her to let her do this for herself.

" _Just make sure you come home."_ He ended with, dropping the humor and asking her genuinely. She smiled, eyeing a man stuffing his suitcase in the same overhead compartment as hers. So much for getting the whole row to herself. Oh well.

"I will. It'll only be a few days, then I'll be back before you know it."

The man sat in the seat right next to the aisle, leaving an empty seat between them. He glanced at her and gave a neutral smile, nodding minutely. She returned the gesture, knowing she'd have to wrap up her conversation soon.

_"_ _Good."_

The brunette perked up, remembering something she'd forgotten to take care of beforehand. "And you'll take good care of Pants for me while I'm gone, right?"

This seemed to catch him off guard. " _Uh, Sitara or Marcus could always do it-"_

"Yeah, but I want him to get used to you. After the whole Bratva thing, I've noticed he's a little wary of new people now. If you're gonna be around, I want him to get comfortable with you."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Riley knew of Wrench's dislike for animals, but he'd said he'd work on dealing with it for her. She hoped that still held true. Finally, he reluctantly sighed. " _I'll…try."_

"As long as he doesn't starve, that's good enough for me." Riley smiled, feeling a surge of warmth for the hacker on the other end. Then, the captain and copilot both boarded the plane, carrying their own bags into the cockpit up front with them. "I'd better go, most of the plane is seated, so we'll be taking off soon."

_"_ _Ok."_

"See you in a few days!"

They both hung up, and Riley took out the earbud in her ear, placing both the phone and the attached charger into her purse for the time being. She wanted it to charge as much as possible before they took off, so there wasn't a possibility of it dying in the middle of the flight.

She looked out the window, seeing a few stragglers approaching the plane, but otherwise it appeared that all of the passengers had boarded. The flight attendants milled up and down the aisles, making sure all of the overhead compartments were correctly fastened or that travelers had everything the needed.

Another ten minutes passed, and still the seat in between her and the other passenger remained empty. Riley looked around at the other rows, seeing multiple empty seats scattered throughout the plane. So, it wasn't a packed flight, but still enough to warrant the bigger sized jet. This flight wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Ladies and gentleman, if I may have your attention up at the front of the cabin so we can begin our safety instructions…" The attendant began, and Riley automatically started to zone out from the rest, electing instead to stare out the window.

* * *

After the first few hours of the flight, Riley had grown bored of her classic rock playlist. She'd moved onto more modern stuff, leaning her head back and closing her eyes to pass the time while she listened. Of course, being in the middle of the day, she wasn't tired. So this grew boring after awhile too.

Opening her eyes as another song ended, she glanced to her left and watched as the clouds below passed behind them. The roar of the engine was comforting, almost soothing. The cabin had been dimmed somewhat to reduce the amount of annoying and blinding light. Outside, the sky was bright and clear. They were flying over mountains at the moment, visible below the cloud line and in between the gaps of the white, fluffy things.

As another song began to play, Riley continued watching out the window. It was mesmerizing, being so high up in such a fast machine. With no connections to the world below, only her music for entertainment.

It was a perfect time to think, and she lowered the volume of her music for awhile, feeling like her eardrums deserved a break.

This whole trip still rattled her nerves a little. Riley had no idea what to expect when she actually stood face to face in front of her mother. She knew what she looked like but…as a person, who was she now? Yes, it was pointless asking herself until she actually arrived at the prison, but the brunette couldn't help but wonder.

Not only that, but if Riley did feel convinced enough that she could confidently bail her mother out of prison without regret, what then? Did she go back to living in Brooklyn, and Riley return to San Francisco without any other interaction? Would they keep in contact? Would she ask her to come to SF with her? Was that even a good idea? Surely they couldn't live together in the same place, but with the money she'd come into recently, Riley could afford rent for two places until her mother got back on her feet.

How would they go about fixing their mother-daughter relationship? How willing would she be to go to counseling? The brunette suddenly snapped out of her train of thought. This was thinking way too far in advance. Things hadn't even happened yet and she was already planning for outcomes that may never come to fruition. Her inner desire to have that bond again was influencing her decisions already. Damn. Maybe Wrench did have a point in warning her against going. Riley could barely reason against herself, let alone the woman in question. This was going to be harder than she thought.

* * *

The rest of the flight was uneventful. Eventually the Captain spoke over the intercom system and informed the passengers that they were 30 minutes out of Newark. Riley gathered all of her stuff back in her purse, wanting to be prepared to exit the plane. And to double check she hadn't lost anything in transit.

They slowly began to descend, the clouds rising higher and higher from above them until they briefly passed through the endlessly white level of the sky. There was slight turbulence as they flew directly through the clouds, before emerging just underneath them. The view of the ground below was clear and unobstructed now, a view of a sprawling city down below. The brunette honestly wasn't sure which one it was.

The distance between them and the ground lessened over time, until the Captain again informed them that they'd be landing briefly. Riley was excited and filled with dread in the same instance. She was actually here, with the intent to see her mother. It was crazy to even think about.

They touched down and the plane began to slow to a near stop. Riley surveyed the surroundings, seeing the main airport terminal over to the left. Dozens of airplanes were parked at other gates, and one was beginning it's run down another runway further beyond.

They coasted to a stop at the gate, and the lights in the cabin flickered to full power, bathing the inside in bright light. The attendants stood and directed the passengers to calmly gather their things from the overhead compartments when it was ok to exit the plane. The first few rows stood and slowly began leaving. Riley remained seated until it was closer to her row.

One by one, the passengers up front exited the airplane, until it was RIley's turn. She reached up and grabbed her suitcase, carrying the first little bit through the tight aisles before popping the handle and rolling it behind her. It bumped as it rolled over the connecting metal grate between the airplane and the detached hallway towards the gate.

Riley stepped into the gate of the Newark Airport, looking around at the different interior design to that of San Francisco. It was much bigger, and much wider, with not as much emphasis put on visually pleasing design, instead on functionality and neutral colors. Obviously the architects wanted to keep it as professional and unoffending as possible. It was charming in its own way, but the brunette much preferred SF's airport with its fantastical colors and unique atmosphere. It was home.

This place was also much more populated. Because of the 3 hour time difference between California and New Jersey, it was now 6 in the evening, and there must have been many more flights planned for the evening than first thing in the morning. Riley knew it would be a bit inconvenient with the jet-lag that was sure to follow, but she'd deal with it once it came to it.

Making her way through the gate area, she wheeled towards the main hub, and ultimately the exit to the rental car area. She'd already arranged to have a car prepared for when she got there. There was no way she'd risk getting jumped, as Wrench had feared, or murdered and dumped in an alley in the city. She'd heard a few horror stories about this airport in particular from her coworkers at ProviBlue. She had no desire to add her own negative experience while she was here. A rental car it was, then.

Of course, temptation being so great, Riley wasn't able to walk through the main food court without grabbing something to eat. She'd had her fill of Chinese food for the day, so she grabbed a gourmet sandwich and ate it as she walked. The nice part about arriving at her destination was that she got to bypass the security on this end, and she gave a pitying glance towards the travelers who were stuck in the line. Pity, but not envy.

Newark Airport was much bigger, as she'd observed before, and so she had trouble navigating the way to the rental area. There were signs, but there were also many stairs and escalators leading off in similar directions. It took several visits to a few different kiosks before she found her way to the rental area.

"Hi, do you have a reserved vehicle?" The woman at the counter asked when she approached.

"Uh, yeah, let me grab the paper." Riley responded, reaching down to search through her purse for the confirmation number. Pulling it out, she handed it to the woman, who read off the numbers and typed them into the computer. It took a few minutes for her to go through all the checks, leaving the brunette standing there patiently, but finally the woman turned and grabbed a few keys from a board behind her and produced them, along with a pamphlet that contained her rental information.

"Here you are. It should be parked in Section B, which you'll find off on the right side." The woman gestured with her hand past the door beside them, and Riley gave a nod.

"Thank you."

Car keys in hand, she trooped past the door and went in search of her car.

Several minutes of searching led her to the vehicle in particular, a dark blue 2014 Toyota Corolla. It wasn't exactly her Mazda, but it was a relatively cheap one with decent enough gas milage. She wouldn't be going on long drives or anything—this wasn't a sightseeing trip, after all—but it would do fine in the heavy traffic Riley knew was in her future. She hit the unlock button and the headlights flashed, the door giving a dull click.

As soon as she sat in the driver's seat after tossing her luggage in the back, the new-car smell assaulted her nose. Rental cars always seemed to retain that straight-off-the-lot scent. A generic air freshener hung off of the rear view mirror in the shape of a pine tree. She pouted, much preferring the orange or black cherry ones. Oh well.

With a turn of the key, the engine started up in a beautiful hum. A check of all the gauges ensured that it was in good condition without any mechanical problems, Riley shifted it into reverse, watching behind her for any pedestrians, and then forwarded down the car lot towards the city.

Riley had plugged her phone into the auxillary, pulling up the map towards where her hotel room would be. She was vaguely familiar with Brooklyn and the surrounding cities, like Newark and New York. Her mother had moved them here after her father died, wanting to start fresh somewhere else with new people and new places, but that had only been for a few years.

After her mother started becoming abusive, the brunette had started getting progressively more inclusive, no longer enthralled with the city or its people. All she'd wanted to do was stay in her room and hope it wouldn't be a particularly bad day for her mother, or escape it entirely to go somewhere else. She hadn't put much effort into learning about her surroundings.

It would take about an hour for her to even get to Brooklyn, so she tapped on her music app and played a song in the meantime. Realizing that she'd forgotten to text Wrench in all the commotion of the airport, she risked glancing at her phone a few times to tap out a quick message.

Putting it back down to avoid the desire to text and drive again, she passed a particularly slow driver and continued towards the city.

* * *

Both man and beast stood facing each other, neither one prepared to move before the other. Wrench was thankful the mask covered his face so its beady and piercing eyes couldn't see his subsequent suspicion and slight fear. Outwardly, all they projected were two angry slashes.

One hand holding his phone, and the other the keys to his car, the hacker wondered which would be the better weapon should the animal choose to attack or something. Neither was a very good choice, but he could see no other item in the front living area that would be a better alternative.

Pants, on his part, sat calmly on the floor in the kitchen, eyeing him suspiciously but otherwise not moving to pounce or walk towards him. He simply watched, wondering what this strange person was doing in his domain. Was he here to offer food? But perhaps he was yet another intruder, come to trap him in the bathroom again. That was not a fun experience.

So he sat waiting, watching for any sort of movement, and wondered as to this man's motives. Riley was not home, so he had no need to fear for his owner's safety.

The phone in his hand vibrated and, after a long glare at Pants to silently command him to stay where he was, Wrench unlocked his phone and dared a look at the message.

**Just landed. On my way to the hotel. Driving rn, sorry for short message. Text you when I get there.**

He looked back up towards the cat, who had yet to take his eyes off of him, and held up the phone for emphasis.

"Listen here, cat. You may be Riley's pet, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna grow to like you. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a furry freeloader. The most you'll get from me is a begrudging tolerance. One bad move and I convince her to bring you to the pound, got it?" He threatened, and Pants' tail swished to the side.

Astonishingly, he gave a low meow in reply, as if he knew what he'd been saying, and as if doubtful that he could or would go through with the threat. I'm her beloved friend, Wrench could imagine him saying. She's had me for over a year. And you've only known her for a month or so. You couldn't possibly be more important than me.

"You keep telling yourself that, cat." He said, finally taking a careful step towards the kitchen. "I'm just here to make sure you don't die before she gets back. Don't try anything funny." He said, pointing towards him dramatically.

Seeing his intended destination, Pants must have decided that Wrench was a friend and could be approached without caution, because he stood and lifted his tail invitingly, walking closer.

"No, no! You stay over there!" Wrench demanded, backing away towards the fridge where his food was. Riley hadn't given explicit instructions on how much to feed him or anything, but he at least knew she only fed him wet food. "Go on, go away!"

Ignoring him obviously, Pants continued forward. Wrench ran out of space to run away from him, his back bumping into the counter, and the cat was able to rub up against the hacker's pants. Huh. Maybe that's why she called him Pants, he thought to himself.

"Ugh…stupid cat." He muttered, stepping around him and resisting the urge to drop kick the animal across the room. He opened the fridge and grabbed his food, putting it on the counter. Then he stooped and grabbed the metal bowl on the floor, now in search of a spoon.

Perking up at the sight of his dinner, Pants hurried around him and hopped up onto the counter, making a beeline for the can of food. "Hey! Get off there!" Wrench rushed to grab him, holding him out at complete arm's length.

Pants meowed his protest, trying to push himself out of Wrench's grasp and towards the counter again, but he walked towards the living room and dropped him to the ground. "Stay!"

Pants eyed him warily, slinking a few feet away as he returned to the kitchen, angry slashes fixed in place. He checked a few more drawers and finally found the silverware. Pulling a small spoon out, he shut the drawer and turned back towards the food. Pants was once again on the counter, sniffing at the can.

"Aw, come on…" He muttered, approaching in frustration.

Pants meowed again as he was picked up and walked back over to the living room. "How does she handle you at all? You're a pest!"

The cat was once again dropped onto the ground, but this time he immediately made a beeline back to the kitchen before Wrench could react. The hacker jogged to catch him before he could jump on the counter again, which made the cat run away in terror.

"You have _zero_ redeeming qualities!" He shouted, chasing the furry creature out of the kitchen. Pants meowed again, arguing against such a claim, but finally gave the hacker some space. "Fucking stay away until I get it ready!"

Another meow from down the hall was the final response from Pants, and Wrench rushed to dish out the food into the bowl. Wrench paused, not knowing how Riley normally served it, but just figured mixing it around and chopping it all up was good enough. It's not like it would change how it looked or the way it tasted for the cat. He'd just scarf it down either way.

Satisfied that he'd done his job, Wrench tossed the spoon into the sink and set the bowl down onto the floor. "Come on, come get your food, cat." He called, suddenly not seeing the animal anywhere.

And, of course, not even an answering meow came as response. Wrench crossed his arms, debating whether he should just leave. Maybe he'd scared the thing have to death by shouting at it. It wasn't like he cared but…fuck, if this kept up, it would be terrified of him every time he came over, and Riley would probably figure he'd abused it or something while she'd been away.

With a heavy sigh, Wrench picked up the bowl again and went in search of Pants. "Do this for Riley. It's all for Riley." He muttered to himself softly, needing the reminder as to why he was trying to gain the favor of a good-for-nothing cat.

Just walking around wasn't getting him anywhere, so he figured he'd call out. He read somewhere that the tone of your voice played a major part in how animals reacted to you. Sounding angry would only drive the cat further away.

"Uh…here, kitty…kitty, kitty." Wrench said in a bored tone. It wasn't very sincere, but at least it was devoid of anger. A distant meow caught his attention, and he turned into her bedroom. "I'm not gonna yell at you again."

Walking inside, he didn't see any sign of the pet. "Pants?" Wrench called, feeling somewhat ridiculous for even saying such a name out loud, and waiting for a response. Another meow, this time under her bed. The hacker approached and got down on his knees.

He held out the bowl of food so the cat could see. "Come on, come eat." He commanded, waggling it around enticingly, but the cat had wide eyes and was terrified. Another sigh escaped his lips. Fucking great. Now what?

He was sure the cat would eat if he left. But again, it would never try to associate with him again. And he'd promised Riley he'd try tolerating it for her sake. Fuck…he hated making promises.

"Ugh…" He scowled under the mask, and then abandoning all of his pride and dislike for animals, he reached underneath the bed and rubbed his fingers together in an attempt to get him to come closer.

"Come on, Pants. Come out and eat. I'm not leaving until you do." He said softly.

The cat looked away, still crouching at the end of the bed in fear. However, he let out a soft meow, finally looking back towards him. Wrench watched as he sniffed the air, no doubt having caught a scent of the food in the bowl.

"That's right, come on. You know you're hungry." He encouraged, once again rubbing his fingers.

Slowly, Pants took a step forward. Then another. But then stopped. Rolling his eyes, Wrench held out the food a bit closer.

"See? Just come out and you can eat. Pants, I'm not gonna hurt you."

His efforts were rewarded by another few steps forward. Pants was nearly within touching distance. Begrudgingly, Wrench realized he'd probably have to pet the damn thing to earn his trust back. Just great. "All for Riley." He muttered again, dampening any disgust he had.

"Almost there." He whispered, watching Pants come a few steps forward. Finally, his fur brushed up against Wrench's fingers, and the hacker rubbed the cat's forehead back and forth gently. Pants was pleased with the motion, because he pressed more enthusiastically into his hand, his earlier fear quickly fading away with the attention.

Wrench slowly began to inch backwards, and Pants followed eagerly. Until he finally emerged from the bed and stood at his full height, purring loudly. Wrench stood and grabbed the food, dangling it low so that Pants could see it.

"Come on, just come eat already. I want to go home." He pleaded, sighing in relief as the cat followed him without qualm.

He trekked them back into the kitchen, placing the bowl on the ground. Pants rubbed up against his legs again, but ultimately went straight to his food, sniffing it experimentally before chowing down without restraint.

"Finally." Wrench muttered, grabbing his phone and keys from the counter. He watched Pants eat his food for a few seconds, before heading towards the door. "I'll be back tomorrow morning I guess."

Pants didn't answer, focused solely on filling his stomach. Wrench shook his head and left out the door, hoping the next time wouldn't be as difficult.

* * *

Riley opened the door to her hotel room, feeling utterly exhausted. Flicking the light on, the room was bathed in light. It was small, though most single bed hotel rooms were. This was no luxury hotel either, so there weren't fancy amenities. A tv across from the bed, a small bathroom off to the right, and an air conditioning unit at the far end of the room, just underneath the window. All in all, exactly like most cheap hotels she'd spent the night in before. Nothing special.

But after a six hour flight and a one hour drive, it was all she could ask for. Jet lag made it feel like only 5 in the evening, but here it was nearly 8:30. The traffic meant it took a little longer to get to the hotel.

Riley dropped her suitcase onto the holder on the left, then flopped backwards onto the bed with her arms spread to either side. It felt so nice just to lay there. It was still somewhat bright outside, but the sun would set before too long. It would be beneficial to go to bed at the time it was here in New Jersey, rather than what she was used to in California. That way her body could acclimate to this new time zone. Plus, her exhaustion helped to encourage that same decision.

She reluctantly rose from the comfy bed, feeling the need to pee intensify. She shut the bathroom door and relieved herself. The bathroom was anything special either, but she wouldn't be staying long. In fact, she'd be leaving the morning after tomorrow. At least, unless things took an unexpected turn. Well…Riley would figure that out once it came to it.

Emerging from the bathroom, she returned to her suitcase and took out a pair of pajamas to change. She honestly wasn't that hungry since she'd eaten at the airport. The thought of going anywhere was too much of a hassle. So, better to just get some sleep now.

Throwing on a pair of sleep pants and an old t-shirt, Riley turned on the tv and made herself comfortable in the bed again. The channels weren't that interesting, but she did find a history show. The program had something to do with the civil war. She'd always found history interesting, and it was better than most of the other programs currently on. So, she kept it on that channel and set the remote to the side.

Riley grabbed her phone as she tugged the comforter further up her body, meaning to call Wrench. She didn't want him to worry that she hadn't made it to the hotel. That man worried about enough as it was. There wasn't a need for him to be worried about her, who was hundreds of miles away right now. DedSec needed his focus, even while she was away.

Bringing the phone up to her ear, she waited as it rang several times, more times than usual, until he finally pick up.

 _"_ _Hey, you made it to the hotel?"_ He asked, and she smiled, loving the sound of his voice. He must have had his mask off, because his voice didn't sound as robotic as it did when he wore it.

"Yeah, just laying in bed now. I might still be on California time, but I'm dead tired."

_"_ _I can imagine. 6 hour flights plus jet lag will do that to you. How was the flight?"_

She shrugged. "Eh, nothing special. But not bad. Plus there was an empty seat between me and the other guy in my row, so no sweaty guy lounging over me while I sleep. That was a plus."

_"_ _Count yourself lucky then."_

"I do." She smiled, suddenly eyeing the time and calculating what time it was back in California. "Did you feed Pants already?"

 _"_ _Yeah…"_ He trailed off, and she raised a brow.

"That sounded ominous."

He sighed. _"Everything went fine, so don't worry about it. It's just gonna take awhile before me and the cat…figure out this relationship."_ He explained, and Riley couldn't help but grin.

"Alright then. Hopefully he didn't give you too much trouble. I know he can be a pain sometimes.

 _"_ _I like to think we've come to an agreement."_ Wrench said cryptically.

"I'll take your word for it." Riley concluded, not really wanting to know. She'd leave Pants and Wrench to figure out where they stood with each other. There wasn't much she could do about it anyways.

There was a small pause in the conversation, before Wrench spoke again. " _How are you feeling about tomorrow?"_

Riley took a deep breath in, before letting it slowly out. "I honestly don't know." She answered bluntly, knowing that Wrench would see right through if she tried pretending everything was fine. "I feel confident I'll make the right decision, but I know how easily I can be swayed to feel sympathetic to someone's side of the story."

 _"_ _Don't take this as me not believing in you,"_ he started, sounding a bit reluctant to say anything at all, _"but I really hope you know what you're doing."_

"I do." And she did. At least, she thought she did. Then, another thought came to mind. One she didn't know if she wanted the answer to. "Um, Wrench, will you be honest with me about something?"

 _"_ _I'm always honest with you."_ He said confidently, and she believed him.

"If I do decide to pay for her bail…what will you do?"

There was a long pause, and she started to get worried. But she forced herself to give him time to think about the answer.

 _"_ _I…don't know."_ He finally said in a tired voice. _"I have every hope that you won't, because I don't see how you could forgive someone who's fucking abused you."_

Riley was silent, not wanting to interrupt, but also digesting what he was saying.

 _"_ _But it's not my decision to make. I just have to trust that you know what you're doing. I won't ever agree with it if you do end up helping her, but I'll have to deal with it."_ Then, he added as an afterthought. _"And even if you ask, I will never try to get along with her. You can't ask that of me."_

"I wouldn't." Riley assured, knowing that a request of that nature would be out of line. After everything she'd told him, she knew exactly how he felt about her mother. Even if she changed for the better, and things were back to the way they were, Wrench had lost all trust in the woman to ever get along with her.

"Will it…change how you look at me?" She ventured to ask, finally getting down to the base of her fears.

 _"_ _Of course not."_ He rushed to reassure. _"I'd be pretty fucking petty to see you any differently just because you made a choice I didn't agree with."_

Riley smiled to herself, feeling a weight lift off of her shoulders. But, just a small one. There were many other worries weighing them down, but this one had lifted. She tightened hand that grasped the comforter, biting her lip appreciatively.

"Thanks, Wrench. You're actually the best."

He gave a quiet chuckle. _"Glad to see you've finally realized."_ He said in a joking way.

They shared a laugh together, before she yawned. "I should get to bed, actually." She said, rubbing at her eyes.

 _"_ _Sounds like it."_ He said.

"I'll text you or something before I go over. I might be a mess, but hearing your voice will help me I'm sure." She said honestly, knowing herself.

_"_ _Always here to help. Get some sleep, ok?"_

"I will. And you too! Don't spend all night breaking stuff apart ok?"

" _No promises, now that you can't actually come over here and make me stop."_ He said in amusement.

"Hmm. Whatever. Goodnight, ok?"

_"_ _Goodnight."_

They disconnected, and Riley reached over to plug her phone into the charger on the nightstand. In the same movement, she grabbed the remote and turned off the tv, dousing the room in darkness again. There was some general background noise, very faint, from the city around her. Thankfully, she was used to the sounds of a city, and it wouldn't interfere with her sleep.

She nestled back into the comforter, sighing in content at the warmth of the blankets. Staring up at the ceiling for a moment, Riley finally closed her eyes, wondering what tomorrow would have in store for her.


	29. No Mother of Mine

"Sign here and here, and then fill out the information on the other form." The red-headed receptionist instructed, pointing to the lines in question with her pen before handing Riley the clipboard. The brunette nodded in understanding, walking over to sit in a padded chair in the front lobby while she filled out the information.

Tucking her purse on the ground below her, she silently began filling out the forms required. The even ticks of the clock on the wall and the dull glide of the pen were the only noises, save for the occasional cough or sniff from an occupant. A stiff silence heavy in the air, the brunette couldn't help but glance around at the others also sitting in the lobby with her. Most of them had similar clipboards in their hands, but some sat reading books or magazines. Maybe someone was visiting while they waited to take them home? Riley could only speculate.

The form asked for basic information. Her name, address, phone number, and various questions to determine if she was a convicted felon. Despite never having committed a crime before, it was always somewhat nerve-racking to be answering these types of questions. Suddenly it became a lie detector test in her head, and she hesitated before checking the 'no' box next to the listed crimes. What if she _had_ committed murder and somehow didn't know it? It was unrealistic and childish, but one couldn't help but wonder.

Thankfully no one else seemed to be aware of her own self-induced anxiety, and she was able to get through the form without problem. A few people had walked up to turn their in already, and she did the same, handing the clipboard to the receptionist kindly.

"Thank you, please have a seat until your appointment time."

Doing as told, Riley sat back in her same seat, holding her purse to her chest. She'd already underwent a search at the entrance to the building, and she suspected she'd be subject to another one before actually getting to the visitation room. It wasn't as rushed or uncomfortable as the airport security, who's job was to get you through as quick as possible. Rather, the prison security guards took their time and were very thorough.

Even after spending a long time getting ready that morning Riley had arrived to the prison early, knowing she'd probably have to fill out paperwork beforehand. Leg bouncing up and down nervously as she waited, the brunette chewed at her bottom lip. This was it. She was probably only a few hundred feet from her mother. The woman that had caused so much disrupt in her life as of late.

If she were being honest, Riley was actually terrified. Of what her mother could do. Or what she would be. Or what she wouldn't be. It was hard to be sure what exactly scared her most about being here, but all she knew was that there was a deep-seated anxiety sitting in the pit of her stomach that wouldn't go away.

Why did this woman have so much power over her? With a start, Riley realized that this was exactly what she'd decided against feeling when she had left home originally. She'd decided not to feel oppressed by this woman and her emotional manipulation anymore, and had set off on her own. Yet here she was yet again nearly shaking with the thought of seeing her again. Maybe it was an ingrained reaction by just being in her general vicinity. Perhaps lasting effects from the abuse.

But Riley had already made this decision long ago. A younger, more vindictive, and emotionally hurt Riley. No more, she'd said. No more letting her control her life. She'd take things into her own hands, and do whatever she wanted to. When had that changed? She'd been doing just fine on her own without her up to this point. What happened to that strength? A little of the anxiety left her, as the brunette remembered that she'd gotten this far without her mother in her life. Now wasn't any different.

The power was all in her hands. She alone could decide, and it was only by _her_ decision that her mother would walk free or not. With a steeling deep breath, Riley straightened in her seat, curling her hands into fists. She'd listen to what she had to say, but her mother would not be making this decision for her. No way.

As if to seal the deal, she reached for her phone and texted Wrench. Where her own strength and resolve failed, she knew she could count on him to support her.

**I'm just waiting in the lobby now to see her. They won't let me bring my phone or anything in, so I won't be able to talk for awhile.**

_We're with you. Not just me, but the others too._

**I know. I appreciate all you guys.**

_Still nervous?_

**A little but not as much now. I had a revelation of sorts.**

_Ooh, how poetic. What of?_

**I think it wouldn't be as poetic if I explained it to you, now would it? :)**

_Well, that's hardly fair. Impart your wisdom unto thee, fair maiden ~.^_

**Nah.**

_Ok, so, not so fair a maiden…_

**The first thing I'm doing is punching you when I get back home.**

_^.^_

The door to the lobby opened, and a security guard walked in, holding up a clipboard. He glanced around the room, before clearing his throat. "Alright, all of those with a 12 o'clock appointment please follow me."

Several people began standing from their seats, and Riley tapped out as quick of a message as she could.

**The doors just opened, so I have to put my phone away. Text you when I'm done.**

Not bothering to wait for a reply, she stuffed the device into her purse and rose to proceed with the other visitors. The security guard ushered them past the door, eyeing them carefully for any funny business.

"Do keep in mind you'll be subject to a cavity search before entering the visitation area. There will be lockers for you to store your things safely." He continued, shutting the door after the last stragglers entered inside. The security guard positioned himself up front and began walking down the brightly-lit hallway towards a door at the end. Their shoes thudded and slapped against the tile floor, echoing against the brick walls as they went.

They reached the doorway, and the security guard swiped a badge against a panel on the wall. It beeped, before the door unlocked with a loud click. He opened it, gesturing for the rest of the visitors to follow. They did as instructed, finding themselves in a checkpoint area. Two guards stood just past two metal detectors, holding the smaller, metal detector wands that the airport TSA agents also used. Behind the big conveyor belt on one side stood another, waiting to check their belongings.

The guard who'd guided them here stopped and turned to regard them, gesturing to a pile of plastic bins set up on a table. "Please remove any jewelry, belts, shoes, and all items in your pockets. They'll be screened by the machine, and we'll let you know which items won't be allowed past the doors."

* * *

 

After yet another pat-down and cavity search, Riley and the other visitors were following after the originally guiding security guard once again, lead down another long, white hallway. He walked backwards, facing them, and began to speak.

"A few ground rules: first and foremost, you are allowed a maximum of one hour with the inmate. There will be an alarm that rings once the hour is up, and you will be expected to stand and step away from the partition glass at that time." His voice was loud and held no room for question. The visitors nodded in understanding.

"Contact of any kind is prohibited. There are no gaps in the glass for this very reason." He continued, switching his gaze from one person to the other to make sure they were listening. Seemed he wouldn't be repeating himself. "An inmate retains the right to refuse any and all visitors. If this occurs, you will be escorted back to the visitation lobby and your possessions will be returned."

Riley had the sudden fear that perhaps her mother wouldn't want to see her at all. That maybe she'd come all this way for nothing. She hadn't even thought of that possibility. The guard continued on despite her inner worries.

"You will remain seated at your designated table until either you or the inmate end the visitation. Wandering around is not permitted. You may end the session at any point, simply by hanging up the phone. A guard will escort you back to the lobby." They stopped just outside of a door with a glass front, the letters 'INMATE VISITATION' painted across it. Riley took a deep breath, steeling her nerves.

"Should you require assistance, raise your hand and a security guard will come to you. Any questions?" He finally paused, looking around at the visitors expectantly. There was no response, so he swiped his badge across the panel beside the door and opened it. "Please remain where you are until you are told which station to proceed to."

He asked the name of the person closest to the door, looking on his list and gesturing into the room. They walked forward and around the corner, disappearing from Riley's sight. The process continued, each visitor instructed where to go. Riley tried peering through the open door, but couldn't see anything except another brick wall. There were bright lights around the corner, however.

Much sooner than she anticipated, Riley was next in line. The security guard regarded her neutrally. "Name?"

"Uh…" She blanked for half a second. "Riley Clarke."

His eyes searched the page, before pointing down the hallway. "Go to station 34, on the left side."

She nodded mutely, rounding the corner. There was a row of stools on either side of the room, with a metal shelf separated by panels to give privacy to the visitors and the inmates speaking. Those who'd gone inside first were already seated, some holding the phones up waiting, some calmly sitting there with folded hands.

The brunette made her way down the aisle, reading the numbers painted on the floor at each station. 30. 32. 34. She stopped, staring into the window where her mother would be. They had yet to bring her here, it seemed, so she took a seat and waited. Her leg bounced against the ground to let off the pent-up tension. Riley was not known to be patient, and this was no exception. Now that she was here, she just wanted this to be over with.

Several more people filed past her, but thankfully there wasn't anyone sitting in either seat to her sides. She had a bit more privacy this way.

A loud buzzer somewhere nearby nearly made her jump, and a door at the far end of the room behind the glass opened. Inmates filed inside the room, their feet chained to prevent running, but otherwise they were just in their orange prison uniform. All of them went for the stations that they were assigned. Riley stared as they entered one by one, waiting to see that familiar face.

Nearly the last one to enter, Jocelyn Clarke walked into the room and slowly made her way to the window. Riley's eyes worked overtime, taking in every detail. Black hair down and slightly unkempt, she noticed it had lost some of its curl. Only the tips twisted in several directions. Brown eyes that had once gazed at her warmly now barely held any recognition. Maybe mild curiosity, but nothing past that. Her figure was skinny, almost frail. Prison wasn't being kind to her.

The woman sat, getting herself settled in the chair, before leaning her elbows on the metal shelf between them and staring into her face intensely. She made no move to pick up the phone, choosing instead to study Riley with as much interest as the brunette did in return.

Both women sat inspecting, assuming, and sizing each other up. Riley had tried to come in here without much in terms of expectation, but it seemed by appearance alone, her mother was already disappointing the few she couldn't help but retain. The woman didn't even crack a smile, didn't show any sort of sign that she was happy to see her only daughter after all these years.

She was skinny, gaunt, and pale. Maybe all from being in prison. Maybe from the drugs. Riley would never know. It felt more like she was staring at her mother's corpse, nothing but skin and bones, instead of her living, breathing body. A sobering thought crossed her mind. How had she survived so long on her own? Obviously the woman wasn't taking care of herself.

Shaking away the invisible strings holding her in place, Riley reached over to the phone and picked up the receiver, holding it to her ear. Jocelyn didn't immediately do the same, watching her another moment before picking up her own line. Seeing the wrinkled and bony hands clutch the phone, Riley heard the click of the feedback on her end and the inmate held up the receiver to her own ear.

Riley let out a pent-up sigh, gripping the phone tighter. She tried her best not to let the nervousness show through. Now was just the time to talk.

"Hi, mom."

* * *

 

Marcus must have known that Wrench was restless. The man could read a person so damn easily, it was fucking scary. The anarchist had been sent on somewhat tedious and time-consuming 'missions' all day long, and he was frankly starting to suspect something.

Wrench had kept quiet about his suspicion up to the point, partly because he appreciated what Marcus was trying to do, and partly because he actually _was_ extremely restless. It wasn't particularly because Riley was gone. That he could deal with. It was the fact that she was, at that moment, meeting her mom, and he was anxious as to the outcome.

He hadn't lied. He did believe Riley when she said she knew what she was doing. His only worry was her tendency to take someone else's side in an argument because she felt bad or sympathized. Wrench didn't want her own wishes to be trampled by her mother's ability to manipulate her feelings.

Not to mention, he didn't want that fucking woman anywhere near Riley after everything he'd heard. Wrench in particular had a deep hatred for abusers of any kind. This woman was no exception. But it wasn't his call, as much as he hated it. If he started making those decisions for her, he'd be just as bad as her mother. Manipulating her to think or do what he wanted her to.

So with those lovely and positive thoughts infesting his mind, Wrench could use a bit of distraction. Marcus, thankfully, always had his back. But these mostly-pointless errands were beginning to wear on him now. After the last 'grocery list' of USBs, computer cables, spray paint for Sitara, and a convenient store stops to grab junk food for the hackerspace, Wrench returned and dropped the plastic bags in front of his friend with relief.

"Sweet…" Marcus said, pulling a bag of his favorite chip flavor out of the plastic bag. "Thanks, Wrench."

"Always at your service." The masked hacker said in a accented flourish, just to be dramatic. He met the offered fist bump, then dug through the things he'd bought for the six pack of beer for himself.

"Hey, how's the bike coming along?" He asked suddenly.

Wrench shrugged, feeling a little bad about the truth. "With all of the Tidis information to go through and…everything else," he added vaguely. Thankfully Marcus knew what he was talking about, "I haven't had much time to work on it. It's almost done, just a few more parts to attach and the paint job, but it might be a bit longer. Sorry, Marcus."

The hacker gave him a reassuring head shake. "Nah, don't worry about it. Take your time. I'd rather see it done right than done quick."

Wrench nodded, glad that Marcus wasn't disappointed. They both walked over to the couch and lounged beside each other, watching whatever movie was playing currently. It wasn't one either of them recognized. Maybe one of Sitara's.

They mindlessly watched for awhile, too lazy to switch to anything else. Wrench uncapped the beer bottle and lifted his mask to drink it, while Marcus munched away at his chips. With a sad start, Wrench realized he hadn't had the time to really just chill with his best friend like this in a long time. Maybe, without meaning to or realizing it, he'd pushed the others away. Shit.

"Things have changed a bit, haven't they?" Wrench asked out in the open, and Marcus gave him a curious glance.

"A bit…something on your mind?"

The hacker sighed, shrugging. "Just realized you and I haven't hung out like we used to in…a while."

His friend grinned, nodding in silent agreement. He didn't seem mad about it though. "Maybe, but we're still good. We'll make time to go get drunk off our asses or do something stupid just for the hell of it."

The anarchist nodded enthusiastically, liking the sound of that. Here he'd been worried for nothing. Maybe Riley's habit of always wondering about other people started rubbing off on him. Now he felt ridiculous for even having sweat over it.

"And it's not like you're the only one that's been sidetracked." Marcus added with a shrug, spreading his hands apart.

Wrench gave him a side glance, his mask changing to reflect that, and he cocked his head. Luckily they were the only two in the hackerspace at the moment, so he could ask this out loud without the possibility of someone overhearing

"So, you and Sitara, huh?" He asked suggestively. Not saying anything to confirm or deny it, Marcus raised his brows with a smug little grin. Wrench laughed under his breath, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "I fucking knew it."

"Don't you say a damn thing, Wrench. Sitara will hand your ass to you if anyone finds out because of you." Marcus warned with an amused smile.

The anarchist held up his hands, one still holding his beer, in defense. "I prefer having my ass attached to me, thank you. Not a peep. Promise."

Feeling a bit better about the whole thing, Wrench settled comfortably back into the couch and directed his attention back to the screen.

It quickly became apparent that this was a chick flick, and as soon as the cliche and stereotypical kiss scene came around to make things extremely awkward, the hackers cursed and scrambled to change it to something a bit more…action packed.

* * *

 

Jocelyn cracked a tiny, amused grin and shook her head slowly. "There's no way you're Riley." She said in certainty, her voice much gruffer and meaner than the brunette ever remembered it being. A humorless, almost mocking huff of a laugh escaped her lips. It sounded more like a couch than anything. "My Riley was a good-for-nothing whiny brat with no backbone. Could barely look me in the eyes. You aren't like her at all."

The brunette sat partially stunned, some of her hope deflating immediately. Already, and things weren't looking good. Her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Nice to see you too…" She muttered sardonically.

There were several moments of silence between them. "On second thought, you've got that same smart mouth." Her mother added, narrowing her eyes with recollection. "All bark and no bite, if I remember. Maybe you are Riley."

The brunette felt dismissed, and she hadn't come all the way here just to be denied by this woman. Maybe she wanted her to break down and cry, or beg to be recognized. Hmm. "I am your daughter." She assured, never breaking eye contact. "I'm just not quite what you remember me to be."

"Clearly." Jocelyn swept another glance across her face, taking in the changes.

Riley was surprised to find that her nerves had gone away, now that she was sitting across from her mother. All of the scary scenarios in her head were replaced instead by reality, which was that there was nothing this woman could do to her from behind that glass wall. It instead brought her a strength she couldn't quite understand.

"I came here to have a conversation." She explained evenly, as neutrally as possible. Jocelyn only watched her with those calculating eyes. "I want to hear what you have to say."

"What makes you think I've got anything to say to you?" The woman asked bitterly, slightly cocking her head.

Riley shrugged. "You didn't refuse my visit. And maybe you don't want to talk. But it seems like you at least want to hear what I'd have to say." Then, more as an afterthought, she said aloud. "Nothing's free. You gotta give a little to get something in return."

Jocelyn shifted in place, leaning back in her seat, phone still to her ear. Riley was normally a very impatient person, but she felt no need to rush a response. That would only push her away, possibly make her hang up the phone entirely. But eventually the brunette was rewarded with a slow, almost predatory smile.

"Hmm. At least you didn't turn out stupid." With a heavy sigh, her mother gestured towards her. "What is it you want to know?"

"Everything." Riley said in earnest. "About you. About what happened. It's been years since I've seen you. I just want to fill in the gaps."

Her mother huffed out a breath through her nose, staring down at the metal shelf she rested her arms on. "It's not all that exciting. Been here since my husband hung himself, never got around to going anywhere else. I've worked at the same goddamn job for years, but it pays enough. Don't know about now though…" She muttered to herself, no doubt wondering what would happen with that when—if—she got out of prison.

It seemed she was going to be brutally blunt about her life, because there was no sugarcoating anything. Not even her father's death. "The only thing I buy nowadays are drugs anyway. Don't need much to do that. Cocaine, meth, and some heroin when I can get it."

None of this surprised her. She'd read enough on her file to figure the sort of things she got up to in her free time, but the disappointing thing about hearing it directly from the woman herself was realizing she didn't sound guilty or regretful about any of it. As if she'd go right back to it as soon as she was released.

Her eyes dragged back up to her, a smug glint in her eyes as another predatory smile spread on her face. "And if you're still hoping 'mommy' is some kinda saint, well…I couldn't count how many men I've brought home and fucked until I was senseless."

Riley assumed that was supposed to garner some kind of reaction from her. It seemed her mother's entire reason for talking was to show just how awful of a person she really was. As if that was supposed to bring shame upon Riley's own person. The only outward sign of acknowledgement she received though was a raised eyebrow.

"Anything else?" She prompted, feeling like that didn't explain much at all.

Jocelyn shrugged, leaning back again in her chair with crossed arms. "Not until you starting spilling some secrets too. There's a few things I want to know about you, you're right. Like where the hell you went after leaving me to take care of your ungrateful ass."

Riley resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This was going to be like pulling teeth to get any more info from this woman. Things had descended into a negotiation instead of a conversation. She should have expected as much, though.

"I'd had enough." The brunette said honestly. If her mother was going to be honest, so was she. "I'd already talked to a women's shelter and was able to stay there for as long as I'd need. Got a job as a waitress to save up some money and enrolled at Bergen Community Collage in New Jersey."

"Bergen?" Jocelyn questioned with a confused glare. "Never heard of it."

"It's small. Just over the state lines." Riley said patiently. "I got a degree in journalism, then moved to California for a job offer. I've been there ever since." Some details she didn't specify, because it was better off if her mother didn't know exactly where she lived. Just in case.

The brunette tried thinking of something else to add, but finally shrugged. "Not much else to it than that, other than I've got friends, I'm happy with my job, and I have a cat named Pants who I love dearly."

Jocelyn didn't look impressed. In fact, the predatory smile had faded after hearing about the college. In its place was a neutral frown and those piercing eyes staring at her. After some time, she shook her head.

"Journalism? Really?"

Riley was tired of people questioning her profession. "Yes, really. I enjoy what I do." She decided not to mention that she'd recently quit. That was besides the point and it would only give her ammunition to fire back spite with.

Her mother expressed her doubt, eyes glancing around at the inmates beside her. "Sure you do."

Riley ignored that bit, adding as an afterthought. "And considering I was piss poor living by myself, it wasn't like I could afford any Ivy League schools."

Jocelyn chuckled under her breath, sounding much more breathy than it probably should be. "Well, looks like some things never change. You'll never stop disappointing me by the sound of it, kiddo."

Another attempt to rile her up. Not today, Riley thought as she evened out her bubbling irritation. Things weren't looking good for her mother. Things were getting off track anyway.

"Your turn. What happened to you after I left?" The brunette asked without tact.

Jocelyn narrowed her eyes and sniffed, adjusting the grip on her phone. Maybe the fact that the little tricks she used to use to break her emotional stability as a teenager no longer worked poked her in the wrong places. Wasn't that a shame.

"Tried figuring myself out. Got drunk a few times. Stayed drunk. Then I added drugs just to see what would happen." Her mother explained, trying to play it all off like she didn't care. But Riley could see the cracks through her armor. The slivers of vulnerability and instability hidden behind those cruel eyes and disapproving frown.

"Tried going to Kathy when the money started running out." The woman continued, scratching her arm absentmindedly. "But she only told me to go to rehab. Wouldn't even let me step foot in her house until I was cleaned up."

Riley frowned at the unfamiliar name, and her mother must have noticed. "My sister."

Understanding dawned on her face, and the brunette nodded thoughtfully.

Jocelyn scoffed with a head shake. "Not that that meant anything to her. Turns out family doesn't mean a damn thing to anyone anymore." Her eyes turned accusingly towards her, and Riley could just imagine the betrayal she must have felt after a younger Riley left her by herself.

Was it her fault that this had all happened? Would things not have turned out as bad if Riley had stayed? The doubts were immediately dashed aside. Strangely enough, it was accompanied by a mental image of Wrench, his arms crossed and mask displaying two angry slashes, facing off against her mother in her head.

Seeking comfort from the fact that Wrench wouldn't have allowed her to believe that this was all her fault, Riley sat straighter in her chair. Her mother might try to push the blame on her, but she wouldn't be taking responsibility for it.

Distaste suddenly crossed her mother's features, and she leaned forward accusingly. "Is that why you're here? To rub in my face how great your life turned out to be while I rot away in this shit hole? Is that what this is?"

"No." She immediately denied, because in fact that wasn't it at all. "I wanted to see you for myself. I wanted to know where you were and how you got here. I wanted to know the information I've been missing all this time. I just wanted answers."

"How convenient you show up when you've got all these security guards and glass walls between us. You've had years to come back, and only now you want to see me?" Jocelyn pinned her with a knowing stare. "What…still scared of mommy?"

"I figured it would be the only environment in which you'd actually talk to me, rather than try to hurt me." Riley admitted freely with a hard stare of her own, because that was also partially true. If her mother was still a free woman, there wasn't a chance in hell Riley would feel comfortable approaching her like this. The security of the prison afforded her a rare opportunity. One she wouldn't pass up.

And if it only served to put her own cowardice on display, so be it.

"Yeah, well, if you hadn't have abandoned me, maybe I wouldn't be here." Her mother spit with a glare. "Great job stepping over your own mother to have your perfect little life. Go ahead, enjoy it. Because mine's a mess at your expense."

Riley said nothing, not allowing the words to do any sort of damage to her.

Jocelyn continued anyway, leaning forward until her face was right next to the glass. "You think I don't know what I am?" Was her whispered question, terrifyingly calm. "You think I can't see what looks back in the mirror? I know I'm a bitch. I know what a fuck-up I am."

She swallowed, shaking her head. "I can't change even if I wanted to."

"Why?" Riley ventured to ask, genuinely curious. This is what she'd wondered. Could her mother change? If given the opportunity to become a better person, would or could she? Was there a chance she could have a mother again? But as the first traces of tears in her mother's eyes began to make them glassy in appearance, her heart broke a little bit further.

"You don't know what losing the love of your life feels like…" She frowned, trying to hold back the crying as the emotions from that night threatened to surface. "You could never understand what that does to you, not until you actually experience it for yourself."

The suggestion gave her an awful mental image of Wrench in that hospital bed instead of herself. She shook the fear aside, not wanting to go down that train of thought.

The hand not holding the phone patted her mother's chest. "There's this…emptiness. And it won't go away, no matter how…" She choked up, taking a breath to steel herself. "No matter how many men I take home, or how much alcohol I drink, or drugs I take. It won't fix it. Nothing does."

For the first time, Riley broke her mother's gaze without meaning to, drifting to the shelf between them in sorrow. The brunette knew that her father's death had indeed broken her mother. There was no other explanation for the change in personality afterwards. Her mother had loved her father more than anything in the world. She'd seen it every day as a kid, the way they looked at each other and cared so much for her.

She couldn't help but imagine what Riley would do if something similar had happened. How would she cope? Sure, she had Pants, but would he be enough to stop her from drinking herself into oblivion, or seeking to forget through drugs? Was her mother's actions afterwards somewhat justified? Everyone grieved in different ways, and maybe her mother just didn't know any other way to try coping with the loss.

There it was again. Riley's infernal habit of sympathizing with a sob story. Damnit. But there was so much truth behind her mother's words, Riley didn't know how to approach it without stepping over what she could perceive as justifiable logic.

_It's not a bad thing to be selfish every once in awhile. Do something for yourself for once._

Wrench's words came clear through her brain, and it made her pause. He was right. If she took everyone else's side all the time, there'd be no one defending her feelings and emotions. They'd never be validated. Riley was allowed to feel like she was in the right. Just this once.

Steeling herself against the waves of guilt for being the person her mother blamed, Riley looked back up at her and didn't look away.

"I understand you were in grief. I'm not saying you weren't. But the way you treated me after dad died was…awful. A nightmare." She described, shaking her head with recollections of some of the worst treatment. "There's no justification for child abuse."

The change was immediate. Her mother's earlier expression of pain and grief washed away in a split moment, replaced instead by stunned disbelief. "Abuse?" She snipped, eyes narrowing. "You think you were abused?"

The brunette had done a valiant job of remaining patient and calm through this whole conversation, but now, at that comment, she'd had enough. For the first time since the conversation began, Riley snapped back angrily. "Of course it was. What else could it have been. After dad died, you didn't have any other way to vent besides the drinking, so you hit me. Repeatedly."

Jocelyn tried to speak up but Riley cut her off. She realized that there were still other people around, and quieted her voice down. However, it never lost the outrage and anger behind it. "I kept to myself the countless times a teacher at school asked about the bruises on my arms, or why I didn't want to go outside with the rest of the kids for recess. I stopped hanging out with friends, because if one of their moms saw the marks, they'd ask. And I didn't want to be 'that kid.'" Riley quoted with her free hand.

"I was told over and over how much of a failure and a disappointment I was. How I'd never amount to anything because of what happened to my dad, and that I had his blood in my veins." She ticked off the other instances on her fingers. As Riley continued, Jocelyn continued growing angrier and angrier. "You locked me in my room on the days you didn't want to take care of me. You read through my diaries to be sure I wasn't saying anything bad about you. If that doesn't sound like abuse to you, then what does?"

"You weren't abused! You were a spoiled little brat, who got whatever she asked mommy and daddy for." Jocelyn spit, jabbing her finger into the glass with venom. "You should be grateful I even kept you around afterwards. I suffered the loss of a husband-" She started, but Riley leaned in closer to the glass, having heard enough of the excuses and selfish remarks.

"And I suffered the loss of a father." Was her reply, tears of her own beginning to pool. Damnit, she hadn't wanted to cry. "And maybe that's not as terrible as losing your partner, but it's still a loss. You're not the only one still carrying that with you."

Both women went silent, and strangely enough, Jocelyn's expression softened. Riley felt her tears slide down her cheeks.

The brunette shook her head, trying to wipe away at the tears that fell. "You were the one person I could turn to after he died to help me grieve, and all you did was try everything you could to snub me out. So in reality, I didn't just lose dad. I lost you too…because you used to be a great mom. You were the coolest person in the world to me. I loved you more than anything."

Riley watched as tears now spilled freely down Jocelyn's cheeks, and the woman let a strangled sob break through, before sucking in a breath and stifling the rest of her cry. Riley watched with mild detachment, unsure of how to feel about seeing this unexpected weakness from the woman who not one minute ago was continuing the abuse from years ago.

The cracks of the indifference and strength compounded, until the armor that surrounded her mother broke away entirely, leaving the broken woman who Riley didn't recognize anymore. Had she really never realized that Riley was suffering just as much as her from the loss of the man they both loved? Had she been that blind? Had she wanted so badly to be the victim that she completely disregarded Riley's own grief?

Jocelyn cried silently to herself for a few minutes, and Riley waited. The brunette took the time to allow her own tears to dry, feeling the sadness slowly fade. In a heartlessly monotone voice, she shook her head. "Just because you were suffering didn't mean I wasn't."

The woman let out more sobs, unable to speak through her emotional state. Riley watched her for several more seconds in an attempt to allow her to compose herself. Eventually, Jocelyn seemed to realize that she couldn't spend the rest of their conversation sitting there in a crying mess. Sniffing loudly several times, she straightened and used the sleeve of her orange uniform to wipe her tears away.

At this point, Riley had no doubts that this woman could ever become anything like her mother again. Maybe on the surface, she could pretend. And a cruel, desperate part of herself wondered if that wouldn't be so bad, to have even a fake relationship with this woman. But the rest of her knew it would never work. Now that she thought about it, she'd made her decision about 20 minutes ago already. She was just prolonging the inevitable departure, perhaps wanting to get as much as she could out of this visit. It was selfish but…that wasn't necessarily a bad thing as she'd come to learn.

"You know," Riley started again once Jocelyn had calmed down enough to talk, ready to end the conversation already, "I had another reason for coming to see you."

"Oh yeah?" The woman asked, genuinely curious, but becoming a tad suspicious.

The brunette sighed and shook her head. "I considered the thought of posting your bail, but I wanted to know what sort of person you are now before I made any sort of decision."

Jocelyn's head snapped up, staring at her wide eyed. "My bail?"

"Yeah…at least, I was going to." Riley met her gaze evenly. It was about time to wrap things up. "But now I know that wouldn't be a good idea."

"Excuse me?" The question burst from Jocelyn's lips, and she leaned forward aggressively. But Riley wasn't swayed, feeling no regrets with the decision she'd made. There was nothing more to glean from speaking with her further.

"Like you said before. You could never change. And I don't particularly like the person you've become." She cleared her throat, having heard enough from this woman. "I'm glad I got the chance to talk to you like this though. It's helped me answer a lot of questions, but don't expect to ever see me again. I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather move on with my life. So, I guess this is goodbye."

"You…little fucking bitch!" Jocelyn yelled into the phone, fully standing up from her chair and seething her hatred from the other side of the glass. A security guard who'd until this point stood against the far end of the wall hurried over to restrain her.

Without waiting to hear whatever her mother would say next, the brunette hung up the phone back on the receiver and stood from her seat. Jocelyn's muffled screamed and the insistent banging against the glass was all she could hear as she waved to the security guard at the end of the aisle of visitation stations. She was calmly escorted out, while the guards on the other side of the glass pinned her mother down. Several curses and obscenities were directed at her back as the brunette left the room.

* * *

Barely 3 in the afternoon, Riley lay in her hotel bed, staring at the wall. It had been some time since she'd gotten back from the prison, but she didn't feel like moving. Too much was on her mind. Not any regrets or guilt or anything, and by the next morning the brunette was confident she'd be back to normal, but for now it just left her a little stunned that it had all actually happened.

Riley felt sound in her decision to keep her mom locked up. She wasn't even really her mother anymore. Maybe she did feel some remorse for what she'd done, but obviously held no intention of changing her behavior up to this point. It was all she knew how to do now.

At least Wrench wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. And neither would Riley, come to think of it. But she could still feel disappointed that this woman had failed all of her expectations and then some. So many hopes had been dashed all at once.

A buzzing on the table made her jump, and she glanced to see the screen of her phone lit up brightly. A text. Sighing, she eventually reached over and grabbed the device from the table. Predictably, it was from Wrench. A tiny smile graced her lips reading through it.

_Everything ok? Haven't heard from you in awhile._

In all the commotion, Riley had forgotten to text Wrench after leaving the prison. Oops. Either way, she was really lucky to have a guy like him always supporting her the way he did.

**Just thinking about everything.**

_So, what's the verdict?_

**She's not my mom anymore. Hasn't been for years. I don't know who that woman is now.**

_Obviously I was hoping that you wouldn't bail her out but…I'm sorry she wasn't what you thought she'd be, Riley. I know how important this was to you._

**It's ok. I tried not to go in there with expectations, but I couldn't help but be disappointed. It's my own fault.**

_Stop with the 'its your fault' shit. Just let it be._

**I know, I'm trying.**

_So you'll be on your way home tomorrow?_

Riley paused, having been thinking about her next move. After sitting there, going over the conversation in her head, she kept thinking about one thing in particular. Well, more like one person. Kathy. Jocelyn had mentioned her sister Kathy, and Riley wondered if she was still alive.

Wanting to know, she'd tracked down her location from an ancestry site and a few other database searches. In fact, miraculously, Kathy Dixon was still alive. And happily married to a Jim Dixon. They still lived in Georgia, in the same house they always had.

Riley had their address and everything. They were just a plane ride away.

_Riley?_

She realized she hadn't responded in several minutes, and she finally typed out a message.

**I actually found out something that I might want to look into. My mom's sister in Georgia is still alive. When I was really little she came to visit for Christmas, but that's the only time I've ever seen her, and I don't remember all that much. I'm considering going to meet her.**

_Is she anything like your mom? Because you might be flying all the way out there to be disappointed again._

**I don't know. That's why I want to meet her. She's the only family I have left. Quite literally.**

_So, you'll be gone a bit longer…_

Riley could tell he was sad to hear she'd be gone for longer than she originally had anticipated, but it was nice to know she was free to make her own decisions without worrying that he'd get mad or irrational about it.

**Yeah, but don't worry. I'll be back before you know it.**

_Well, at this rate you'll travel the whole country before getting back home. ~.^ Just don't forget which place to eventually come back to._

**I promise. :) I should probably go though. I'm a bit tired after all that waiting and the emotional tension.**

_Ok, get some rest then. You know where to look if you want to talk again. ^.^_

Smiling, Riley set her phone down and reached for her laptop, searching up tickets for flights to Georgia. Hopefully one that left tomorrow.


	30. Little Box of Memories

Georgia was so much different than both Brooklyn and San Francisco. The environment was so much more green and vibrantly filled with life, the locals letting the tall trees grow as they wished, even in the middle of their front and backyards. It had a stunning natural beauty to the neighborhoods, and even the main cities themselves.

Even the air smelled different. A damp, earthy scent, but not unpleasant. There must have been a natural lake nearby somewhere. However, there was no way to know where or how far away, as the forests enveloping the neighborhoods were too thick to see too far within.

As Riley's rental car coasted to a stop across the street from the house in particular she was looking for, she let out a breath and shifted to park. Her foot stepped off the gas, but her hands retained their hold on the wheel. She wasn't sure what else to do with them.

The house was quite large, and obviously built some time ago. Though, the entire neighborhood looked that way. It was made from a sand-colored brick, with dark brown roof shingles. A long, curved driveway led up to the side of the house, where an old, red pickup truck was parked. So, there was a chance somebody was home.

It was a large plot of land, the house being so far back from the road, and she was willing to bet an even larger backyard sat behind it. No doubt filled with just as much greenery as the front. Her eyes took in the tall trees blocking some of her view of the house, though it looked nice enough. Surely, someone like her mom couldn't live here?

Just like at the prison the day before, Riley froze in the face of actually walking up to the building. Her feet felt like jelly, fingers gripping the steering wheel with a bit more strength than necessary.

This was her last lifeline. If these people turned out to be just as bad as her mother…she had no one left.

Well, nobody besides DedSec. Riley had already decided that no matter how many blood relatives she had, the group of hackers would still be family to her. Just like Wrench had said. Family was continuous support, and DedSec had done nothing but support her from the beginning. They were deserving of her unending support as well.

A car drove towards her from the opposite direction, and she felt panicked. What if that was them? What if they saw her just sitting there in her car, watching their house? That wouldn't leave a very good impression at all. 'Ah, yes. I may have been stalking your house but I'm your niece that you've only met once?' Not the best conversation starter. But her fears were all for nothing, because the car kept driving past, giving her only a mildly curious glance.

Riley relaxed a bit, shaking her head to try working up the motivation to even get out of the car. She'd bought a plane ticket, a hotel room, and another rental car just to come meet them. Riley's financial situation had already been taken care of, and the expenses were only a small dent on the rest of her account, but for someone who wasn't used to spending so much money, it was still a sizable cost. There was no reason to be hesitant now, especially so close to actually seeing them face to face.

Swallowing the last of her anxiety, Riley turned off the engine and gathered up her purse. Opening the door and stepping out into the wet heat of the Georgia air, she closed it behind her and walked slowly towards the house.

Each step further up the driveway felt longer and slower than it should have been, like she'd never make it to the front porch at this rate. Eyes glued to the windows for any sign of someone being home, she eventually made her way all the way up to the steps to the porch. Every nerve on end, she stood in front of the cherry-red door and clenched her hand into a fist.

It hesitated just before knocking sharply a few times against the wood, falling back to her side as she waited for it to open. Who would she see on the other side? Obviously they were her relatives, but what kind of people were they really? She supposed it rode on the theory that behavior was largely genetic.

The trees surrounding the house swayed with the wind, creating a calming background whooshing noise, the twitter of birds audible just over it. It was so peaceful here, despite this internal turmoil writhing in her chest. It still gave her a small sense of hope. A place like this had to harbor kind and respectful people.

Suddenly, the sound of a lock disengaging startled her back to attention. Her back stiffened, her hands gripping the strap of her purse that rested on her hip. Her heart pounded with each new click. A few seconds passed with a few more locks undoing, before the door opened and a woman stepped into view.

"Hi there." She said with an anticipatory smile.

Mouth slightly agape, Riley blinked dumbly. "Hi."

There was definitely a resemblance, which she supposed she should have anticipated. The same black hair, although whereas Jocelyn's had been wiry and unkempt, hers was smooth and well taken care of. Cut to her shoulders, it was wavy and shiny.

The face that looked back at the brunette was almost uncannily similar to her mother's. Eyes sharp and piercing, watching her with intelligence. Her mouth was quirked in a curious smile, nose just a little bit bigger than the average. The only difference between this woman and Jocelyn was that everything seemed to radiate an easygoing kindness.

Of course, her mother had been rather adept at making herself appear to be kind, so Riley couldn't help but wonder if the compassion she saw in this woman's eyes was genuine or not. But still, it gave her a bit of hope.

The woman cocked her head to the side, confusion furrowing her brows together. "Is there something I can help you with?" She asked, prompting Riley to speak again. It was rude just to stand there and stare, but she honestly couldn't help it. It was so surprising and…relieving.

"Umm…yeah, I…" The brunette cleared her throat, suddenly having trouble focusing her eyes in one place. And of course, in times where Riley didn't know what to say, she began rambling. "I probably should have sent a message ahead of me before coming here, but I honestly wouldn't have known what to say. And I'm sorry if it's so sudden for me to come here with no warning. But, uh, you're…Kathy Dixon, right?"

"Yes, that would be me." She responded with a nod, and Riley swallowed down the urge to start crying from pure anticipation.

"I'm Riley…" She paused to take a breath that her lungs desperately were searching for. "Jocelyn's daughter."

The confusion that had been marking her face cleared after another moment. Several things happened all at once. Replacing the uncertainty was a mix of surprise; as if she couldn't believe her claim, awe; as if coming to the conclusion that the brunette was telling the truth, she still was shocked and stunned, and sheer happiness; that one tore at Riley's heart with a twisting wrench. Kathy took a step back, placing a hand to her heart.

"You're…" The woman took a pace forward, reaching out with shaky hands to Riley's shoulders. She held her at an arm's length, just looking over her face and body, as if to confirm it was indeed her. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, mouth agape from the inability to speak.

"Oh my word…" She released her pent up breath in barely more than a whisper, "…today is a blessed day." Kathy sobbed, finally holding Riley's cheeks with her hands and holding back her crying. "My sweet girl, Riley…you have no idea how much of a miracle it is to have you here."

All this unbridled love and care Kathy was suddenly doting onto her made the brunette's own eyes start to water, and she couldn't help but start crying too, until both women were sobbing messes. Kathy enveloped her in a tight, warm hug, rocking her back and forth as they stood on the porch.

"We searched and searched for you after everything, but we couldn't find you…I'm so sorry for everything you've had to endure all this time…" Kathy said in a strangled sob, and Riley felt wetness begin to pool on the shoulder of her shirt. But she didn't care at all, too overwhelmed by the magnificent relief of a burden that had settled on her conscious since finding out about her mother being in prison suddenly being lifted in this moment.

Riley sniffed, burying her head into Kathy's shoulder. Even her scent was comforting. She smelled like bread. Maybe she'd been baking before Riley had gotten here. But either way, it smelled like what a home would, and that was more than she could ask for. In the face of such blatant and unrestrained parental affection, something she'd been without for so long, the brunette couldn't help but feel like a kid again, being crushed by a mother's hug. And Riley was no fool, relishing this feeling for as long as she could.

Kathy suddenly pulled away, reaching up and wiping her thumbs under Riley's eyes to rid of the tears, she cradled her face in her hands again. "If I had known where your mother had taken you, I would have fought to get custody of you myself. No child should be treated that way."

"It's ok." She was finally able to respond, sniffing a few more times to clear her nose. "It's alright."

They stood staring at each other, too caught up in the moment to do much else. Finally, Kathy must have remembered they were still just standing outside on the porch, because she threw up her hands in a tizzy, gesturing to the open door behind her. "Oh, forgive me, I've left you standing outside on the porch. Come in, dear, come on in."

Kathy entered first, with Riley not a step behind her, into the front room of their home. The scent of bread was much stronger here, coming from the kitchen she could see around the corner. Something floral and musty underlined it.

Two, large plush chairs sat facing a tv, with a long couch sat perpendicular against the other wall. They all looked so comfy. Small side tables enclosed the seats on either side, each covered with a lamp and small little knick knacks. The walls were lined with shelves, also covered in knick knacks and dozens of family photos. It seemed a bit cluttered, but Riley found it appealing and homey.

Strangely, one of the shelves filled with pictures had an empty spot at the end, holding only a layer of dust. It was the only visible surface without something occupying its space. Maybe something had broken?

Kathy waved her inside, then began wiping off a few stray dog hairs from the couch, and otherwise just fretting about. She was probably still unable to comprehend Riley's presence there and couldn't sit still. Defaulting to her usual setting of cleaning when you had a guest over. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like. Please, stay! I've waited years to see you and I'd hate to have you leave so quick." Again, she threw up her hands in exasperation. "Oh, I almost forgot…Jim! Jim, come quick! You've got to meet someone!"

Kathy's shouts into the house garnered a distant 'Alright, alright!' from a back room. A male voice, and some shuffling like the sound of footsteps.

Her aunt turned back to the brunette, and engulfed her in another hug. "I'm so sorry if you're a bit overwhelmed but…oh, bless your heart, I'm just so happy to see you. We've always kept a prayer in our hearts that we would find you someday, but you just happened to find us!"

"Oh, hello, who's this?" Riley heard from the hallway entrance, and Riley stepped away from Kathy's hug to see an older gentleman enter the living room. He was taller than Kathy, thin and lanky, with a receding hairline. His hair not quite completely gray, the roots still retained a faint speckle of brown. A steady sign of wrinkles played at the edges of his features, not too deep to believe he was an old man yet, but still visible enough to know he was getting up there in years. Despite his obvious age, his eyes were vibrant and alive.

Also filled with the same kindness Kathy exuded. Not just one compassionate relative, but two.

"Jim," Kathy said breathlessly, going over to him and gesturing to her standing there, "this is Jocelyn's girl." She looked about ready to cry again.

Just as Kathy had done when she'd learned of Riley's identity, Jim's eyes widened and he looked at her in a new light. He gasped with a shake of his head, almost doing a mental double take, before taking a few shuffling steps towards her. "Riley…" He muttered, approaching slowly, as if afraid he wouldn't be welcome. His own eyes began to water.

"Hi." She said lamely, not quite sure what else to respond with.

Bottom lip quivering just enough to see, he set a gentle hand on her head, taking in her appearance. "For awhile there, I thought I'd never get to meet you."

"Well, I'm here now." She said with a watery smile.

He spread his arms wide, and she stepped into his hug, relishing the warmth and comfort there. He squeezed her tightly, sniffing back his own tears. "I'm your Uncle Jim, Riley."

"It's nice to meet you both." She said, knowing she'd never be able to communicate just how much this meant to her. There was a possibility they'd never know, but part of her had an inkling that they were just as overwhelmed and emotional about this as she was.

Aunt Kathy. Uncle Jim. Never before had she thought she'd have something like an aunt and an uncle. It was surreal, and dizzyingly spectacular to hear.

"My god, I must be the worst aunt ever! Did you want something to eat or drink? I'm not sure what sort of weather you're used to or where you live now, but I'm sure the Georgia sun can be a bit much for anyone! Come to the kitchen and we'll get you fixed up with something." Kathy said after Riley stepped away from Jim's hug, wiping her face of the last remaining tears.

Swiping under her eyes to make sure her makeup wasn't smudged beyond belief, the brunette nodded, following after her relatives into the kitchen. There was so much she wanted to say, she didn't know where to begin. But she supposed having some food was a good start.

* * *

 

Day three of taking care of this good-for-nothing cat. And it was going surprisingly well. Pants seemed to have acclimated to receiving his meals from the masked man, no longer eyeing him warily as a possible threat. His meowing and insistency on eating as soon as Wrench walked through the door was still a bit much, but he wasn't afraid of him, and he generally allowed him to dish out his food without so much interference now.

Which Wrench was extremely grateful for. It made this whole getting used to the animal a lot easier on his part when Pants actually decided to behave for once. How Riley handled or loved him on a daily basis was way beyond Wrench's comprehension.

Though, it seemed the feline was being naughty and causing messes while Wrench wasn't here to feed him, as a few of Riley's movies from her entertainment center were knocked over on the floor, spilling haphazardly in a way that looked strangely cat-caused. So, after feeding the rascal with as little contact to the furry feline as possible, Wrench went over and started straightening it up.

It wouldn't do to have Riley see her apartment had become a mess while under his care—technically, Pants was the only thing he'd promised to take care of, but her whole apartment was something he'd assumed came with the responsibility. The last thing she needed to worry about after coming back home was having to clean up Pants' mess.

After the movies were put away, the hacker noticed one of her mirrors had been knocked over and sat against the wall. Thankfully it hadn't been hung too high on the wall, and it landed on the carpeted floor of the living room, so it hadn't shattered and was still intact. He stooped to grab the fallen mirror, checking the back for any broken pieces, just to be sure.

Finding nothing wrong with it, he placed it back on the nail on the wall, wondering how Pants had managed to fuck it up in the first place. That cat was more mischievous than he'd first thought. A fucking trouble-maker. Great. Just what he needed.

Deciding to do a sweep of the apartment just to see if anything else had been knocked out of place, he wandered into the laundry room, then the bathroom. A few bottles of her perfume or lotion or whatever girly shit the containers were full of were sitting on the floor where Pants had tossed them. He set them back on the counter and wandered further down the hall.

He paused outside her bedroom, unsure if she'd want him snooping around in her room while she wasn't home. But, she'd foolishly left the door open for Pants to invite himself in and wreck the place. It was just to look around and tidy up a bit, no harm there, right? Convincing himself it was fine, because how would she know anyway, Wrench stepped inside and swept his gaze around.

Set in the middle of the opposite wall was her bed. The sheets looked comfy and plush, the dark blue hues blending well with the while accept pillows sitting against the head of the bed. A sudden and perverse thought wondered how it would feel tangled in them after several rounds of-

Shaking the thought away before problems began to rise—literally—in his lower regions, Wrench forced his gaze away and checked under her desk for anything that seemed out of place.

Maybe Riley had trained Pants well in keeping him out of her room, or maybe the cat was just less obnoxious when in this room for some strange reason, but he couldn't find anything knocked over or broken, and he sighed in relief. Then, slowly forgetting as he studied the most private room in the apartment why he was there, the hacker lingered far longer than necessary, gleaning what information about her he could.

A Harley Quinn figurine, no more than a foot tall, occupied the spot beside her lamp on her nightstand and alarm clock. Another figurine , this one Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect series of video games, was on the corner of her desk. They were free of desk, obviously well cared for and loved, and Wrench smirked behind the mask. Sometimes he forgot how much of a nerd she could be, buried beneath her penchant for focusing on work above anything else. The woman needed to relax sometimes.

Besides the few figurines, there wasn't much else that had the sole function of decor rather than something with a necessary purpose. She'd told him before that she hadn't ever really taken the time to make this place her own, too focused on her assignment, but now that that no longer was a problem…

Her closet was cracked open an inch or so, and he couldn't help but walk over. Hand grabbing the door, he stopped himself, knowing that even if he could justify coming into her room without permission, there wasn't any practical reason for peeking in her closet. Other than Wrench's insatiable curiosity, of course, but he doubted she'd take that as an answer if she found out he'd been snooping.

The pull of wondering what sort of dresses she had within her closet too strong to resist, the hacker eased the door open fully, one half of her closet visible to him. On the floor was a moving box or two, probably the few things she'd admitted to packing up back when there was still a possibility of her leaving San Francisco. He was glad that was no longer the case.

The taller rack meant for dresses and long items of clothing on the left side was surprisingly sparse. Riley obviously wasn't a dress person, as he counted only a handful of garments there. And the ones he saw were either very business-appropriate, or not at all fitting under the definition of skimpy. He was somewhat disappointed, but then he spotted the simple white one she'd worn to Swelter Skelter, and grinned. Maybe Sitara could convince her to buy something a bit more adventurous next time. He'd have to come up with an excuse for her to need one.

On the right side were where the shirts and blouses hung. While Riley wasn't like most girls, there were some aspects of her personality that fit right in with the stereotypical female, like a packed closet. What she lacked in number of dresses she made up for in shirts and skirts, the right side of the closet comically stuffed to the brim with hangers and various accessories stuffed in the places they could just barely fit.

A rack of shoes sat underneath everything, occupied by several pairs of sneakers, several sets of heels—Wrench's brows perked at seeing a black pair with little bows at the toes, an opening just above it giving the best little tease where her feet would go. Hmm, where could he bring her so she'd wear those? A couple pairs of boots were shoved up against the corner of the closet, too big and bulky to fit on the shoe rack, and a couple pairs of flip flops stacked on top of each other in a jumbled mess.

He was about to turn away when the sight of something up high on the upper shelf caught his eye. Despite the clutter on the floor, the upper shelf was mostly bare. Wrench had a rueful thought that most likely, Riley just couldn't reach it. There was a box sitting off to the side, pushed back a bit to make it more obscure, but Wrench's taller height made it easy to see and reach for. Dragging it forward, he brought it over to the bed.

The box was plain wood, with a combination lock holding the metal latch in place. This was stepping way over boundaries, and no doubt breaking some of her trust in him. But Riley wasn't home. And wouldn't be for several days. He was getting bored. And the worst Wrench in the world was a Bored Wrench. Because Bored Wrench started doing things he normally wouldn't do. Like snoop through Riley's box of private stuff.

An accusatory meow nearly causes him to jump in place, and he turned to send angry slashes as Pants stepped into the room. What do you think you're doing? The cat must have wondered, sitting by the door and watching expectantly. You know you're not supposed to be doing that. Riley would be mad.

"Keep your mouth shut or you'll be sent off to that Korean restaurant a few blocks over." He threatened, pointing just to emphasize his point. Pants only blinked, unperturbed by his tone.

As if you would. Riley would be mad if I wasn't here when she got back. Wrench could practically hear the smugness in the cat's meow, and he clenched his fist, resisting the urge to punch the animal.

"Just go away. Shoo." He waved towards the door, but Pants stayed right in his spot, watching patiently. Sighing with a shake of his head, Wrench turned back to the box, inspecting the lock.

It was four numbers long, between 0 and 9. Pushing through the continued question of whether or not he should really be doing this, the hacker tried several different random combinations, before actually thinking about it.

Riley's birthday was November 12th. Having nothing to lose, he spun the slots until it read 1112, and the lock slid out of place easily. He was met with both a feeling of pride at having figured it out so easily, and disgust at knowing how eager he was to invade her privacy.

Setting the lock aside, he lifted the lid and picked up the first thing he could grab in the pile of papers.

It was an old picture of three people: a young girl with familiar brown hair, beaming brightly into the camera in her ballerina outfit, and an older man and woman, him with similar brown hair and her with dark black locks. They crouched to either side of the girl, looking proud and loving as they also smiled towards whoever took the photo.

The picture was wrinkled in some places, parts of the image scratched away at the very edges, revealing the white paper it was printed on underneath. It was of a low quality resolution, so obviously an older device took the image. Wrench felt his heart sink lower in his chest, knowing this probably wasn't ever meant to be seen by anyone other than the brunette. He really shouldn't be looking at this.

Pushing past the guilt, he flipped it over and saw a few words written in messy yet elegant scrawl. _'Riley's Big Day, 2004'_ Wrench swallowed, shaking his head. This was before anything bad had happened to her. And she'd been right. There didn't appear anything wrong with her mother back then. Average face, and no cruelty etched into her piercing eyes yet. That wouldn't happen for years to come, if the date was anything to go by.

Flipping it back to the front, Wrench examined her father's face. He wasn't anything spectacular or unique by any standard. Sporting a scruffy, short beard and looking like any other average white male father would, one arm was wrapped tightly around Riley's waist, pulling her closer to him to squeeze her tightly. The hacker had no doubt that he'd loved his daughter.

He'd looked too long. Setting it aside, a tiny part of him suggested he forgo the rest and retain some measure of her privacy, but his bad-decision-making senses kicked in and grabbed the next photo, holding it up to see clearly. Except it wasn't a picture.

It was her father's driver's license. It was worn and faded, obviously having been in a wallet at some point.

Grant Clarke.

Setting that aside too, he took all of the papers out and held up the stack, going through the items one by one. Underneath the license was a funeral program for her dad. It looked brand new, save for the wrinkled corners where it had once been wet and dried. If he were to venture a guess…tears.

Thankfully, things grew to be a little less depressing and guilt-wrenching. Wrench stared down at a copy of Riley's college schedule. She'd taken a full five-class schedule, with several classes pertaining to Writing and Journalism. He raised a brow, seeing the odd addition of Formal Dancing as one of her electives. Huh.

It joined the other papers, and he saw a picture of Riley in her flowing white graduation cap and gown. Holding a symbolic scroll tied together in the middle with a red ribbon, she smiled into the camera. But it wasn't as bright and cheery as it could have been, comparing it to those of the few other graduates he could see in the background behind her. The others had relatives or parents or friends hanging around their necks, joining in for their own pictures. Riley, however, stood alone.

He wasn't sure who'd taken this picture either, but Riley must have had this one down on her own phone, because the image quality was much nicer than the previous one.

Below that one was a series of pictures. Riley was on the floor, a kitten version of Pants cuddling in her arms as they lay there. She looked so thrilled to have a little pet of her own that Wrench almost had a stab of affection for the little guy still sitting by the door. Almost. He sent the creature a glance behind his shoulder, wondering just how intelligent the cat was. Did he know what Wrench was learning?

Under the pictures of Pants was the last one in the stack. He held it up, smiling underneath the mask again. It was the same one that DedSec had snapped and saved as her phone lock screen when she'd been in the hospital. Hoping for her fast recovery, Sitara had suggested they take a group photo in an effort to cheer her up and stay positive. Wrench clearly recalled still feeling guilty for feeling like he'd caused a large portion of her suffering, and had almost wanted to leave himself out, but Marcus had pulled him by the arm and wouldn't let him go anywhere until they'd taken the picture.

He flipped this one around and saw in Riley's own handwriting the word ' _family.'_ His heart clenched, seeing the listed names of the DedSec members underneath that in the order they appeared in the picture. Knowing that DedSec was important enough to make it into her box of memories and important keepsakes was uplifting.

Nothing else was in the box, and he gathered up everything it had contained, making sure they were still in the same order as before, and replaced them where they belonged. He shut the lid and relocked it with the combination lock, hefting it up and putting it back on the shelf in the closet.

Deciding that he'd overstayed his welcome for the day—at least until he had to return to give Pants his dinner—Wrench ducked his head down and stuffed his hands in his pockets, barely giving the cat a glance as he left the apartment, a strangely morose mood settling over him.


	31. Bonding

"I remember you coming over for Christmas one year but," Riley shrugged, holding the mug of orange juice between her hands, "not much other than that. I don't think you were there either." She said, nodding towards her uncle.

The older man shook his head, sitting in one of the chairs across from her at the table. Kathy sat next to him, holding onto her husband's hand as if still trying to ground herself from the shocking reunion that afternoon. "I was on a business trip that year, so I couldn't come down and see you."

"On Christmas?" Riley asked with raised brows. "Where did you work?"

"Enron." He said with some bitterness, before coughing a few times. "Glad those bastards went bankrupt when they did. Wasted 8 good years of my life with them. They had the worst employee treatment I've ever seen."

Kathy leaned forward towards Riley, smiling warmly. "And don't worry. Jim got out of working with them before any of that scandal business, so we weren't in any trouble there."

"That's good." Riley smiled, glad they hadn't faced hardship because of that. She leaned back in her seat, shifting so she was more comfortable.

Jim took a sip of his coffee and shook his head again, eyeing her sadly. "It was one of my biggest regrets, not seeing you when Kathy went down to visit. Up until now, it would have been the only time I'd ever get the chance to meet you, and I didn't even have that."

"He was a wreck, after your mother…well…" Kathy trailed off, a slanted, sad smile on her face. "We both didn't know what would happen to you. He contacted private investigators, and even a few lawyers to see what we could do to locate you."

"We looked all over Syracuse," Jim continued, naming the town Riley had grown up in until her father died, "but then we realized that she must have moved far away. At that point, we weren't sure we would be able to find you. This went on for years."

Riley glanced between the two of them. "We moved to Brooklyn." The brunette explained, seeing a clarity and dawning cross their eyes. She couldn't imagine how long they'd wondered the answer to that question.

"Mom wanted a fresh start somewhere else, away from anything that…reminded her of dad." She finished sadly, looking to the side. "I didn't want to leave, but it wasn't like I had much of a choice. I left friends behind, and never really made new ones in Brooklyn."

"That must have been difficult for you, sweetie." Kathy said with a sympathetic furrow of her brow. She reached out and touched Riley's hand affectionately. "How old were you when your father passed?"

"15."

"Bless your heart." Kathy muttered, giving her hand a gentle pat before leaning back in her chair. "So young…"

"Which makes you about…" Jim mused aloud, cocking his head to the side as he calculated in his head. "23, is that right?"

Riley smiled. "Yeah. 24 in November."

"You've grown into quite the young woman." Kathy complimented, eyes skirting over her face to see her features. "I can see so much of your father in you. That same brown hair, that same confident smile. You have your mother's eyes but…I can see you obviously took after Grant."

"He was a good man." Jim nodded wistfully, eyes somewhere else as he spoke. "Only met him a few times in my life, but he was a good man for sure."

"I know." Riley smiled, recalling the memories she had of him. Then, another thought crossed her mind. Something she'd always wondered but her mother would never discuss. Even before her mother had gone completely off the rails and started her downward spiral. And after that point, Riley knew better than to even ask. "Do you know how my parents met?"

The brunette saw her uncle glance at Kathy, obviously giving her the chance to explain. Perhaps she knew it best, being her sister and all. She cleared her throat, nodding.

"Well, you'd have to understand how she was when she was younger." She began sighing with a shake of her head. "Jocelyn and I were very close growing up. We were nearly the same age, barely 10 months apart, and did almost everything together. Nearly inseparable."

Kathy gestured with her hand. "Now, it wasn't until we started getting older that Jocelyn started to change. I preferred to stay home and read my books, but it wasn't uncommon for her to sneak out at night and party with her friends. Not the best types of people, either." She added with a meaningful look.

"Really?" Riley asked, unable to imagine her mother as a party girl. She hadn't shown any sign of it before her dad died. In fact, she'd sometimes seem more mature and responsible than her dad. Well, sometimes.

"Oh, yes." Her aunt gave a big nod. "Smoked and drank way before she should've. And it got even worse when she got old enough to date. Why," Kathy scoffed with a toss of her hand, "I got to know the very worst boys in town because of her. Half the time, they were over at the house when our parents weren't home. Heard the worst noises coming from her room, too…"

Riley grimaced, not wanting that visual.

"Now, now, dear, she doesn't need to hear all the grisly details." Jim chastised. "I doubt she wants to know about your sister's escapades as a teenager."

Kathy gave her husband a look that told him to shut his mouth, with love of course. "I'm telling the story here, not you. It just might be important."

"Important?" Jim shook his head, obviously not seeing how it could be. He turned to the brunette, who was holding down the grin and laugh that threatened to spill over at their gentle bickering. "Riley, do you really want to hear all of that?"

Put on the spot like that, Riley shook her head, setting down her mug and holding up her heads defensively. "I don't know. Don't drag me into this."

"Smart girl." Jim chuckled. "Kathy, finish telling her already."

Her aunt turned a sharp eye onto her husband. "I will if you don't interrupt me again."

Jim wisely said nothing, gesturing kindly for her to continue, and Riley let out a small chuckle despite herself. Watching the older couple bicker was funny. Kathy nodded, satisfied that she could finish the rest of the tale without any more talking from her husband.

"Now, as I was saying, your mother didn't date the nicest people when she was younger. All the bad boys, you know?" Riley nodded along, listening intently. "Now, all that changed when she met your father."

"How did they meet?" The brunette asked inquisitively.

Kathy chuckled, shaking her head to whatever she'd just thought of. "Oh, I convinced your mother to actually go to the library with me one day. Told her she might find something she'd like to read. Jocelyn scoffed at me, but after complaining that I didn't get to see her as much as I used to, she begrudgingly went with.

"I dragged her around for a little while, and your dad was reading in the library. I kept seeing Jocelyn staring at him, every time we passed by the table he sat at. I told her how I saw him there nearly every day."

"He liked books too?" Riley asked, frowning. She didn't remember him as much of a reader. Mostly, he focused on work, or his collection of baseball cards. It had always been her mother reading the bedtime stories to help her fall asleep. However, Kathy shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure I saw him with a textbook every day, so he may have been studying. Not much of a reader, if I remember right."

Riley nodded her understanding, and Kathy continued. "Of course, at the time, she didn't say much about it, but the next day Jocelyn asked to go back to the library again."

"And they hit it off from there?" The brunette guessed, and her aunt gave an affirming nod.

"Yup. I'd never seen Jocelyn study so much in her life after that. She was always at the library, spending time with your father. He was really studious, very focused on graduating with high marks, so that was how they first started bonding."

That sounded much more like him, Riley thought, smiling in amusement.

"After that, Jocelyn didn't sneak out or drink. Grant really helped her straighten her life out. Even encouraged her to become a physical therapist. Up to that point, she hadn't known what she wanted to do with her life."

Jim cleared his throat, shifting in his seat.

Kathy gave him a side glance. "Something to say, dear?"

He glanced up, brows raised. "Hmm? Oh no, not at all. Just listening intently. Carry on."

"Hmm." Kathy hummed with a little grin, not quite believing him, before turning back to Riley. "But that's about all I know. The rest is history, I suppose you could say. They dated through the last bit of high school, then got married after your father graduated from university with his finance degree."

Her smiled turned sad, and she shrugged minutely. "I guess when your father died, Jocelyn didn't know how to keep her life on track. He was her rock, her support through everything. Maybe she resorted back to the way she used to be, because she didn't know any better. I'll never really know…" Kathy trailed off, leaving a long silence at the table as no one really knew what to say.

Riley was reminded of something Jocelyn had said at the prison. Then, realizing that they might not even know about her, she spoke up.

"Do you know where she is right now?"

Kathy shook her head slowly. "I haven't heard anything about her since she moved you two away."

Riley nodded slowly, pushing away the apprehension that came up in her chest. "Well, if you wanted to know…I actually found her."

Both Jim and Kathy perked up, a bit in disbelief. "We were worried she'd be dead by now. Is she alright?" Her aunt asked in concern.

Riley tossed her head back and forth, not quite sure how to answer. "Yes and no. She's imprisoned in the Brooklyn House of Detention under a long list of felonies. She'll be locked away for a long time."

Both older people immediately looked downtrodden, no doubt disappointed that Jocelyn had fallen so low. Riley had her own reasons for not ever wanting to associate with her mother again, but she knew Kathy was her sister. Surely a part of her still loved her deeply.

"In fact, the entire point of traveling was to visit her in jail." Riley admitted, fidgeting with her cup again, just to keep her hands moving. "I saw her yesterday."

"I'm not one to question what you decide to do. You're a grown adult who can think for herself," Jim started, hands laying flat on the kitchen table, "but I'd understand more if you never wanted to see her again. Especially after what she did to you. Why would you want to have anything to do with her?"

"Jim, she's her mother." Kathy chastised gently, and not in an unkind manner. Riley smiled sadly and shook her head.

"That's not entirely why, but a part of it. There were a lot of questions I didn't have the answer to. Ones only she knew. And I wanted to determine if there was any chance that she could go back to the way she was before dad died."

The brunette felt a wave of disappointment, and her eyes averted from theirs. "I really help out hope that there was a possibility of bailing her out but…I don't think there's any help for her now."

There was a long silence, before Riley brought up her original point. "She mentioned that you'd turned her away when she came to look for help."

Her aunt grimaced, nodding in shame or…guilt. "She did. Just once."

"Why?" It wasn't accusing her of anything, but she just genuinely wanted to know the circumstances.

Kathy's hands folded in her lap, and Jim reached over to touch her shoulder supportively. Obviously it weighed on the woman's mind. "Jocelyn did show up out of the blue once, but she was manic. Could barely understand what she was saying half the time." She gestured to the front living area. "I kept her on the porch because my kids were still living at home, and I didn't want them being around that."

"She was causing quite a racket." Jim supplied, turning to Riley sadly. "Had a few neighbors later that day ask if everything was alright because of the noise."

Kathy nodded a silent agreement, continuing on. "She asked if I had any money to give her, but I had a feeling it was just going to go into whatever substances she was taking. I didn't want to be an enabler, so I turned her away. I offered to have her stay once she cleaned herself up. I wouldn't ever turn my back on her entirely. But for the sake of my kids, I wasn't going to tolerate the things she was doing."

"That's understandable." The brunette said.

"Obviously she didn't feel the same way. Broke a few of my windows and front porch ornaments. I threatened to call the cops on her if she didn't leave, and that seemed to get through her anger. Didn't see her again after that." Kathy concluded, shaking her head slowly. Her eyes were faraway, as if seeing the scene in her subconscious.

The table went silent for awhile. No one really knew what to say from there until Jim cleared his throat and spoke up, looking at Riley expectantly. "Enough with our sad stories though, tell us a little about yourself, Riley. We'd love to hear a bit about the person you've grown up to be."

Gladly taking the offered conversation change her brows raised briefly, before she cocked her head. Smiling nervously, she gave a huff of a laugh. "Well…where to start, heh."

"After you moved to Brooklyn, what happened then?" Kathy suggested, settling in her seat again. She looked a lot more composed, no doubt trying to shake the memory of confronting her mother.

Riley stared down in her cup, now empty of orange juice. "Well, like you said. Mom slowly broke down. Started drinking more and more. Started getting abusive." She could tell talking about it only made Jim and Kathy feel guilty, so she skipped over all of those details. They didn't need to know them intimately anyway, and it would only drag the conversation back to something depressing.

Shrugging, she continued. "When I couldn't take anymore, I left for another city. I got a job as a waitress to help pay for tuition and went to a community college in New Jersey to get my journalism degree. After graduating, I started searching for jobs out of state, and there was an opening in California. I liked the idea of moving as far away from mom as I could, so I took it and went there."

"So you write for the newspaper?" Kathy asked innocently, and Riley couldn't help the awkward laugh that followed.

"Well…not exactly."

"Oh, so what do you do now?" Jim leaned forward, his elbow propping up his head with a hand. His interest was obvious.

Well, how to answer this question? Was honesty best in this moment, or should she just pretend all was exactly how it should be? Before she could even begin to formulate a response, Jim reached over and touched her shoulder reassuringly.

"Oh, come now. We want to hear everything about your life, the good and the bad. We'd be proud no matter what you were. We're just happy to have you in our lives, Riley." Was his encouraging reply.

"If journalism is a cover for exotic dancing, we won't judge." Kathy agreed with a sagely nod, and the brunette's eyes widened in a panic. Her hands waved in front of her defensively.

"No, no…it's nothing like that. I wouldn't ever do something like that." She could feel her cheeks heating up as they chuckled at her embarrassment.

"We don't have much of a filter." Jim confessed through his smile. "Probably should have warned you beforehand."

"It's alright, just wasn't expecting it." The brunette said in a huff, smiling despite herself. Their easy-going nature and high tolerance for anything she could possibly tell them made telling them the truth more comfortable. "But just for clarity's sake, I'm not an exotic dancer. I was an investigative journalist at a news station, but just recently I quit."

"Oh my, that sounds a little dangerous." Kathy said, holding a hand to her chest. "But perhaps you're the type of person brave enough for the job."

"Of course she is, just look at her." Jim said, gesturing to the brunette without any doubts. "Riley's more than capable. But, why'd you quit? You must have enjoyed it if you got a degree just to do it."

Riley grimaced, remembering her conversations with Bill, and how deep the bite of betrayal had felt. "I was in the middle of an investigation, and they pulled my funding. I'd been working on it for over a year."

Jim tossed his hand dismissively. "Don't you just hate that? Big business screwing over the middle class." He growled. Riley was glad he thought similarly to her own values.

"Later on, I found out that they'd sold out and taken a bribe to stop my investigation." She continued.

"Ooh, a scandal." Kathy's concern turned into intrigue, and her eyes sparkled with curiosity and interest. Somehow it made her look younger. "What became of it?"

"I put in my two weeks, and…exposed the company." She finished. For as honest as she wanted to be with Jim and Kathy, admitting that she technically stole $500,000 wasn't something she was willing to do quite yet. Better to keep that under wraps. "Hopefully they'll think a little longer next time they try taking a bribe."

"So, you're looking for a job now? If you get the inkling to move here closer with us-" Kathy started to suggest, but Jim interrupted her again with a gentle slap on her shoulder.

"Kathy, now you let her be. She's a grown woman, and she can make her own decisions. Don't start putting your nose in her business like that."

The woman turned to her husband and reciprocating his slap with one of her own on her arm. "Don't start with me, Jim. I was merely throwing out the suggestion if she ever got the idea." Then, turning back to Riley with a knowing look. "I wouldn't ever tell you what you should do, especially seeing you all grown up and mature like this, but you're always welcome around here if you're looking for a change of scenery."

"I appreciate that." Riley said politely. "But I'm not currently looking for a job right now."

"Oh, you've found a new one already? What do you do now?" Kathy questioned, and Riley looked away again. Her hands played with the empty mug, still unsure of telling the full truth.

It wasn't a question of trusting them. Even having knowing them for less than a day, Riley had no problems with trusting them. Ah, what the hell? They were miles away from San Francisco, and she doubted any gangs or government figures were going to come after them all the way in Georgia.

"I'm actually…part of a hacker group." She admitted with a carefree shrug. It felt sort of freeing being able to say that aloud. "We target corrupt business and expose injustice to the public."

"Oh, like one of those, uh…anonymous folk right?" Jim scratched at his chin, eyes narrowing. "So you're like a freedom fighter almost."

Riley tilted her head, thinking about it. DedSec had never been described in that way before, but she supposed it fit. "Yeah, sort of. We try to inform people of how better to protect their personal information, especially with all these city-wide technological systems in place. It's getting harder not to be dragged into some company's scheme or another."

"There's no better purpose than fighting on someone else's behalf. That's really admirable, Riley. I couldn't ask for more." Jim gave her a genuine, toothy smile, and she couldn't help but return the gesture.

"You don't have any financial troubles, do you? I hope for all that risk you'd get paid fairly well." Kathy fretted, a kind concern etched into her face.

"Oh, I'm fine, don't worry." Then, deciding that she could be a bit more honest about some of the morally gray things they did, she admitted, "A lot of the time, we have access to the executives' bank accounts. If we transfer money to someone more deserving, we might take a small portion as payment. So, sometimes we aren't entirely honest about what we do."

They did say they wanted to hear both the good and the bad, after all. But Kathy waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, nonsense. That's just a modern day Robin Hood situation. Nothing dishonest about that. As long as you're careful." She warned with a pointed finger. "I'm not gonna meet you properly after all these years just to lose you again."

"I plan on sticking around for awhile." Riley smiled in relief. She'd been a bit afraid they'd think she was some sort of criminal. Well, technically, the government could label her that, but she was glad they seemed to understand the value behind what she did.

"So you've made lots of friends there?" Kathy questioned expectantly, and Riley nodded. "Good. As long as you enjoy what you do, and you've made some friends, then I'm happy."

"I have." Riley reiterated, just to make sure there weren't any doubts. "I've never been happier than where I'm at now."

"What is San Francisco like anyway?" Jim butted in curiously. "We've never gotten around to visiting. Been all around the country for vacations, but not that area."

Riley went in depth, explaining what the culture was like, and the people, and the weather. She wanted to paint it in a way that perhaps the two of them would want to visit one day. It wouldn't be a hassle or an inconvenience to travel to Georgia a few times per year to visit for special occasions, but the brunette wanted them to see her home, and her lifestyle, to share in her happiness with them.

Just sitting down to talk like this was amazing. She wanted them to meet Pants. And see the Golden Gate Bridge just before the sun sets. Plus, if Riley's intuition was correct, she had a feeling Jim enjoyed fishing—there were various trinkets and wall decorations that had something to do with fishing. She was willing to bet he'd enjoy seeing the pier and the bay. Maybe she could rent out a boat for a day and go sailing with them.

There was Chinatown and Alcatraz. She wanted them to see the sea lions sunbathing on Pier 39 too. And try the Chinese food place right near her apartment complex.

And meet Wrench.

She still wasn't sure how that would work with his mask, if he'd be willing to have it off to meet them at that point or not, but she could cross that bridge when it came down to it. Maybe after some time had passed, he would consider it. She'd never want him doing something that made him uncomfortable.

"Oh, let me give you tour around our house." Kathy said suddenly, standing from her chair and waving her to follow. "This is your home too, you know. Best to get familiar with it for visits in the future."

"Ok." Riley agreed, standing from her own seat and heading down the hallway Kathy walked down. Before she got too far, Jim turned around and called after her.

"Since you haven't been to Georgia before, Riley, I can give you a tour around town tomorrow if you'd like, just you and me since Kathy is seeing her little group of friends. Course, that all depends how long you planned to stay with us." He suggested.

"Oh, definitely! I'd love to." She said, and he flashed her a wide smile. Jim wasn't quite as talkative as Kathy was, and maybe some time spent alone with him for awhile will give them the chance they needed to really bond.

"Here, come see the master bedroom. I've got some old pictures lying around somewhere." Kathy called from down the hall, and Riley hurried to meet up with her.

* * *

 

A vibration by Wrench's head on the couch in his garage startled him out of sleep. Groggily cursing under his breath because did people have any sense of courtesy when it came to letting people get some goddamn sleep around here?, the hacker blindly grabbed for it, the angle awkward with his wrist. Finally latching onto the corner of the device, he dragged it closer and held it up to see who was trying to message him.

_Yo, you up for a job?_

Biting back the irritation because a) it was from Marcus, and b) he couldn't have known that Wrench had taken a nap in the middle of the day and he was now tired after being rudely waken up, he tapped out a quick reply. In all honesty, he'd been bored, so a mission might just be what he needed.

**What have you got in mind? Please tell me I'll get to blow something up.**

He'd been itching to watch something explode for days now, but just couldn't think of anything he'd want to see do so. Maybe this would be his opportunity. Plus, he'd get to spend some time with Marcus, who'd been by Sitara's side for a majority of his free time.

_Most definitely. Grab some of those bombs of yours and meet me in front of the old concrete factory in Oakland. I'll tell you about it there._

**Anything for you, Marky Mark. ~.^**

_That nickname's off limits!_

**The Dark Stranger?**

_Nope. No way._

**I'll think of a better one on the way over. You'll be astounded and awestruck!**

_Uh huh, sure I will. Just get your skinny ass over here already._

Wrench's fatigue began to slip away as he stood from the couch excitedly, fingers tingling with the thought of how much destruction he could cause. It'd been a hot minute since the last exciting mission. All of Sitara's leads recently had been purely crypto-hacking without any real infiltration action. While Wrench could bear with those on occasion, he truly shined when he could unleash his anarchist tendencies. He was glad Marcus understood that well.

Time to shake off the dust and do something fun.

* * *

 

After spending some time being shown around the house, it had settled into the evening, and Riley found herself sitting on the floor in the space between the two armchairs. In her arms was a thick scrapbook, filled to the brim with pictures and little inscriptions for each. Kathy was a thorough scrapbooker, capturing every little event and special occasion from the past if she could help it. Of which the brunette was thankful. It gave her plenty to look through and learn about.

Kathy leaned down from her chair, pointing to a group of pictures in the top left corner of the page. "And this here is David's 5th birthday party. He refused to blow out the candles on his cake. Nearly threw a fit when one of the other kids did it for him, too." She recalled with a hearty laugh.

David was one of Kathy's sons, the middle child. All in all, Riley had three cousin, all older than her. There was Ricky, the oldest, who lived down in Savannah. He was an architect, and worked on rebuilding and renovating older homes. He had two children of his own, both less than the age of 3.

The middle son, David, worked as a bank teller. He'd moved out of state to live in South Carolina. Charleston specifically. Jim lamented the fact that he lived so much farther than the rest of the family, but he'd always known David had been eager for new places and adventure. They were just happy he didn't live halfway across the world, taking what they could get. They also hoped he'd get married soon.

And lastly was the youngest, Austin. He was only a year older than Riley, but already had a chain of restaurants to his name along the Georgian border. According to both Kathy and Jim, his brand was considered one of the best in the state, often winning recognition and awards for their high quality and unique cuisine. Part of her wondered if half of that claim was familial support, but she didn't doubt it was good food. Someday she'd have to try it.

He had a kid of his own, born just a few months ago.

"Everyone promised to come down for Christmas this year, so you'll have to come back and meet everyone. I know they'd be excited to see you for the first time. They were always complains about the lack of female cousins." Jim said ruefully, shaking his head with a grin. "I think they get tired of all the testosterone sometimes."

"I'm sure." Riley said neutrally. She was a little nervous about suddenly seeing her cousins. Surely they'd come down with Kathy to see them for Christmas that year, but she honestly couldn't remember them at all. Had there been other children around? Suddenly she wasn't sure. Kathy was the only one she remembered.

Riley turned to the next page, seeing a picture of two similar looking women sitting side by side. It was an older photo, grainier than the rest, and Kathy tapped it excitedly. "Oh, that's of me and Jocelyn. We weren't more than about 6 years old here. I'm on the right. She's on the left."

The brunette tried fitting the faces to the person, but even knowing who was who, she honestly could see any sort of distinguishing difference. They were too alike to tell apart, flashing the exact same smile, eyes both intelligent and sharp, and hands folded neatly in their laps. Their hair was puffed up and fluffed, with the tips of large bows behind their heads.

"You can't tell each other apart at all." Riley commented, and Kathy nodded.

"It wasn't until we were about 12 or 13 that we began looking different from each other. Jocelyn liked styling her hair up, and I liked mine down. Plus, she got interested in make up much earlier than I. She always looked older than me after that."

Riley's eyes skirted over the pages, taking in pictures and the handwritten notes and passages that covered the empty spaces. Kathy's handwriting was neat and even, easy to read.

The next page was had a single picture. Riley stopped, seeing her own eyes staring back at her. It was a photo from the visit at Christmas. her mother was knelt on the ground, holding Riley around the middle, smiling brightly into the camera. She looked so happy and unburdened.

"That's the only picture we have of you." Jim said softly, slowly rocking back and forth in his chair like the elderly tended to do. "It's a good thing Kathy likes taking pictures, otherwise we might not even have had that one."

"Your mom was always camera shy. Didn't like me coming in there with my camera demanding to take pictures of everything." Kathy said with a small chuckle. "So, I settled for just this one to make her feel better."

"I'm glad you took it." Riley said, trailing her finger along the edges where it had been pasted in. There was a rather lengthy passage underneath it, and she began reading.

_I went to visit Jocelyn and her family in 1999. It was my first time meeting little Riley. She's six years old in this photo, and she was the sweetest bundle of sunshine! She wanted to help bake all the cookies and decorate the tree, and you'd catch an earful if you told her she was just a kid. 'I'm a grown up girl!' she'd tell you in her little huff._

Riley smirked, knowing that sounded a lot like her. She kept reading.

_She got to meet the kids, and even though she was the youngest, Riley lead them to great adventures around the house, showing them all of her favorite toys and spots to play. The boys loved her, and followed her around everywhere. It was the cutest thing, seeing a troop of kids running around, off to cause trouble._

_Grant had a hard time relaxing, but Riley was the biggest help. She asked him to dance around the tree with her, and he obliged. You can't say no to a smile like that. After that, he slowly started to enjoy the holiday with us a bit more. We even convinced him to have a glass of wine! Imagine that._

_It snowed Christmas Day, and little Riley was of course the first one up, sitting by the tree excitedly once we'd all wandered out of bed. I have a feeling she'd been the ringmaster to wake the boys up too, because they were right beside her, bouncing in excitement to open presents. They were so excited, they almost skipped breakfast to start opening presents. Jocelyn got them some cereal, and we all gathered around the tree after that._

_Riley got the tricycle she'd asked for, and lots of coloring books. Her favorite was the stuffed cat plushy that her dad had bought her. She gave it the cutest name: Socks. She carried it around with her the rest of the day. Those two were inseparable._

Riley raised a brow, wondering where she'd gotten the penchant for using clothing items as names for pets. Hmm.

_It was a wonderful Christmas, as I got to spend time catching up with Jocelyn too. It's been too long since we last spoke. Jim couldn't come with me because of a business trip, so it was just me and the kids this time around. Hopefully he'll be here to go back down for a Thanksgiving or two in the future._

Riley smiled as she read the last paragraph, finally turning the page to see the next few photos. Reading over what her aunt had written was heartwarming, because she'd almost completely forgotten about dancing around with her dad, and toting around Socks the Cat. She still didn't have a recollection of having her cousins there, but the other little bits of memory in between were welcome refreshers.

* * *

 

 _"_ _Come get me, motherfuckers!"_ Wrench shouted out the open window, foot pressing the gas pedal all the way to the floor. Marcus just barely managed to strap his seatbelt on before the van shot forward through the chain link fence and plowed onto the main road.

Behind them, two black vehicles began pursuing after them, no doubt filled with members of the 580's. Very pissed off 580's. Even further back, thick black smoke was still billowing out of the open windows and doorway of the cement factory where Wrench's explosives had been planted.

Marcus twisted in his seat, watching as a few gang members in the van directly behind them leaned out the windows, holding up assault rifles. When the loud banging of gunfire began, he pressed further down in the seat, hunching low to avoid any bullets. The rear window and a few of the sides one broke with a shatter, letting the swoosh of the wind as they drove faster into the cabin. Wrench started evasive maneuvers to avoid most of the shots, the tires squealing with each turn of the wheel. At these high speeds, they'd be lucky if they didn't roll the van.

The nearest enemy van was approaching quickly, and before long they'd be neck and neck. "Can't this thing go any faster?" Marcus yelled, glancing over at his masked friend who looked entirely too enthusiastic about being in the middle of a dangerous, high-speed car chase. Sometimes it was concerning just how insane Wrench could be, especially when he had that happy expression marking his mask, focused on the road and where they were going, but also looking back to see the enemies chasing them.

"Well, if we'd had time to get this baby hooked up with nitro, then yes! But as it stands, nope! We're capping at 95 right now." He said, gesturing to the speedometer.

His friend shook his head, still concerned about flipping the whole damn vehicle. The other van was still coming closer so Marcus rolled down the window and reached in the seat behind him for his own weapon. Letting out a breath, he popped out the window and fired a few unfocused shots, just to stall them a bit.

It had the desired effect, and the driver backed off, putting more distance between them and the van. Marcus ducked back into the inside before they could return any fire, and he looked over at Wrench.

"You'd think they'd be a little more understanding about having all of their smuggled cocaine shipments destroyed!" Marcus quipped with snark, and Wrench howled with laughter, sounding robotic and tinny with his mask in place.

Police sirens grew louder, and two cop cars joined in the chase, taking up spots behind the 580's vans. The gang members noticed too, because a few of their people started popping shots at the cops now too.

"Brace yourself!" Wrench yelled, and Marcus grabbed onto something just as the hacker sent the van careening down the freeway exit. It was miraculous they hadn't hit any of the other cars in traffic up to the point, and even more so that he managed to squeeze the van past the waiting cars at the bottom, sending them in a screeching left turn to try shaking their pursuers.

The 580's van that had been closest to theirs followed after them. The other, along with the police, continued down the freeway. Now that it was down to just one van, things were a bit more manageable. Wrench zigzagged through traffic, taking random turns to try getting rid of the 580's chasing them. They still took shots at the van, but luckily hadn't hit the tires yet.

Thanks to Wrench's excellent evasive skills, they were all to lose line of sight with the following van. They ditched the van in an alley, then broke into a nearby sedan, hiding down in the seats to avoid detection.

They watched as they passed by the alley, seeing the abandoned car and started slowing down, searching the area for them. Wrench waited until they were out of sight before starting up this new vehicle, slowly easing them out of the parking lot and back towards the hackerspace.

"So, did that satisfy your need for chaos?" Marcus asked in a breathless manner, just lucky to be alive with the anarchist's driving. The man in question flashed hearts at him.

"Fuck yeah! Did you see the beautiful destruction? The flying debris and screaming? Absolute…perfection." He drawled out, relaxing his grip on the steering wheel as they cruised at an easy pace.

"Sometimes I wonder how you're still alive, man." Marcus admitted with a shake of his head, chuckling to himself under his breath. "You're a crazy mofo, you know that?"

"Ah, but I'm _your_ crazy mofo." Wrench emphasized with a playful wink, holding out a fist to bump. Marcus returned the gesture, leaning back in his seat for the rest of the drive home. Then, all of a sudden, Wrench perked up again. "Oh, yeah I almost forgot. You were right. The Dark Stranger is too…bleh. Not anything special. I figured out a new one.

Marcus was curious, only to see what new ridiculous nickname he'd have to bear hereafter. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Wrench laughed under his breath, then turned to him with a wink. "Sexual Chocolate."

Marcus couldn't hold back the groan, or the bewildered laugh that followed, and both hackers were cracking up the rest of the way back to the hackerspace, another mission successful.


	32. Exploring Atlanta

The old, red truck sped down the highway towards Atlanta, its two occupants chatting over the noise of the radio with the windows down all the way. The wind woodshed past, filling the cabin with high-speed, cooler air. Just as Kathy had mentioned the day before, Georgia was definitely hot. What's more, it was a humid sort of heat, no doubt from the various lakes and swamps that littered the countryside. Not only hot, causing sweat to stick to your skin, but the mugginess only added to make the back of Riley's shirt damp. And just to top it all off, Jim's truck didn't have working AC. Apparently they kept forgetting to get it fixed.

"Not quite what you're used to I suppose?" Jim asked in a cackle, watching as the brunette fanned the front of her shirt to get some air going. She looked over with a rueful grin.

"I mean, California's hot, but not like this. This is…something else."

The older man shook his head in amusement. "Yeah, most folks don't know quite how bad it gets. Us residents know a little better, but even we can't take too much of it."

The miles vanished under their tires minute by minute, getting closer and closer to the state's capitol. From Marietta, where they lived, it was only about a half hour drive, most of it through thick, green forests on either side of the road. It was gorgeous, and with the gray skies promising an afternoon rain, Riley couldn't have found it more beautiful. Actually, she found Georgia altogether incredibly stunning. Maybe, years down the line, she'd decide to move here for retirement when she was sick of living in big cities.

Jim reached over and tapped on the dial button, looking for another radio station in the channels. Apparently he was tired of listening to Star 94.5, Atlanta's Hottest New Hits. "Now, I'm all for tolerance when it comes to other people's music tastes, but this is ridiculous." He said, jabbing the button until it came to a classic rock station.

 _"…_ _so I signed my name on number 24, hey!…Yeah, the judge said, 'Boy, just one more.'"_ Jim nodded his head along to the lyrics with a wistful smile.

"I hope you'll forgive an old man for wanting to listen to some of his generation's music." He said apologetically with a shrug. "But there's no reason not to like this stuff."

"I'm all for classic rock." Riley reassured, tapping her finger on the windowsill to the beat of Sammy Hagar's voice. It evolved into also nodding her head along to the beat.

 _"…_ _we're gonna throw your ass in the, city joint…Looked me in the eyes, said, 'You get my point?' I said yeah!"_ Both Jim and Riley sang together, and they shared a glance between them both, appreciating the good music for what it was. The brunette was glad that they could bond over similar interests like this. She'd been terrified that there wouldn't be anything to talk about, but as they belted out the song, her anxiousness melted away, and they smiled through the rest of the song.

* * *

 

Jim was the perfect tour guide for Atlanta. He'd lived here for so many years, he knew the city inside and out. Riley was in good hands.

He also seemed to know a lot of history about the city. Most notably, it's importance in the Civil War era. Riley, who appreciated learning anything having to do with the past, was enthralled as he described how a majority of the city had been destroyed during the war, as a lot of the fighting took place here. And back then, Atlanta hadn't been the state capitol at that point.

When they arrived in the city, the first places they visited were historical landmarks associated with the war, most notably the Oakland Cemetery. Now, normally it would be a strange sort of tour around the city if the first stop was a cemetery, but they'd already had that conversation on the way there.

"It's gotta seem a little weird." Jim had commented at one point, but Riley had only shaken her head and chuckled.

"I love history, plus family wouldn't be family if they weren't a little weird."

So saying, they arrived to the cemetery and Jim showed her the most notorious graves and spots. The short, wrought iron fences that enclosed the grass from the stone pathway was a pleasing aesthetic, and the hollow atmosphere of the place was actually pretty cool to feel. So much different from home.

It was strangely beautiful; seeing the stone grave markers, angel statues, cracked scrolls and mausoleums that dotted the grounds shadowed by the tall, modern steel skyscrapers of downtown Atlanta. The total shift between the two was astounding. A stark comparison of where the country was not even 200 years ago, versus where society was now. It was also a reminder that they'd sacrificed much in terms of tradition and style for efficiency and uniformity. Nowadays, all you got was a flat plaque. It was kind of sad.

They wandered the cemetery, with Jim serving as her own personal tour guide, spouting out random facts about those buried here if he knew them.

After they'd had their fun looking at the old graves, they piled back into the truck and headed towards the main city. Traffic grew steadily worse as they approached the city, but Riley was used to bad traffic, and wasn't too bothered. Jim, however, griped about so many people living in the big cities that they could hardly move anywhere.

The first stop in the big city was the Atlanta Aquarium. The main lobby was wide and spacious, with bright blue walls of varying shades, simulating waves or something similar. The floor underneath her feet was glass, displaying streams of water underneath, just for added effect. Jim walked them up to the admission counter and purchased their tickets. Riley tried negotiating with him to let her buy her own ticket, seeing as money wasn't an issue for her anymore, but he waved it away.

"Let an old man buy his niece something nice. Just consider it a Christmas gift almost 20 years too late." He joked with a toothy smile. The brunette could tell he enjoyed the thought of treating her to a fun day of adventure and sightseeing, so she didn't argue from that point on. If he wanted to spoil her, she wouldn't tell him otherwise.

Tickets in hand, they bypassed the counter and walked into the second main lobby. There was a large jungle gym in the middle, with brightly colored plastic decorations. Whales and sharks and dolphins, hopping out of perpetually splashing waves stuck in place, Dozens of children, their parents sitting on benches surrounding the gym, ran through the walkways and swung from the monkey bars. It was walled off by half-sized, cushioned walls so the children wouldn't get hurt.

There are two levels to the place, the lower floors for the aquatic animals, while the upper floors contained the birds and land animals. They navigated to the section of the aquarium where you could touch the stingrays. Riley was a bit afraid; knowing what had happened to the Crocodile Hunter years before gave you some hesitation about going anywhere near the things.

"I don't know about this…" She said at length, keeping her hands tucked against her chest, fidgeting her fingers.

Her uncle kept a gentle hand against her back, encouraging her forward. "Oh, they're just a bunch of fish."

"Yeah, with deadly tails." She said, watching the tails trail behind them calmly.

"They're not gonna kill you." He pressed her harder, enough that she bumped against the edge of the pool. He himself approached right beside her, eagerly plunging his hand in and letting his fingers brush up against the marine animal's skin. After Jim reassured her that she wouldn't be killed, she hesitantly reached out to touch one as well.

It was slippery but soft, a dull gray color as it glided just underneath the surface of the water. It rippled and lapped against the edge of the waist-height pools, bright lights pointed down to illuminate every inch. It slipped out of reach, but another one came into her sight after a moment, and she felt that one too.

After the apprehension had passed, and the risk of her being injured slowly went away, she smiled, enjoying the moment. There were others also touching the rays, small and young children. Wow. Riley was being shown up by 6 year olds. If Wrench heard about this…well, at least she could keep her pride intact.

They enjoyed the stingrays a bit longer, before moving on to the next room.

* * *

 

After exploring the aquarium to its fullest, Jim brought them over to what was, according to Jim, a very famous restaurant. Riley wouldn't know, as she'd never heard of the place. The Silver Skillet had a nice 1950's sort of vibe, and they both enjoyed hearty lunches. The servings were large, perhaps a bit greasier than her tastes, but damn did it taste good. Well, she could certainly see why it was famous now.

Their bellies full of good food, Jim drove them over to the Coca Cola Museum. They looked through all the old memorabilia and he lamented how the country had changed since he was a boy.

"Hell, you used to be able to buy a bottle for a nickel. Can't find anything like that anymore." Was his sad statement, and Riley only nodded along, eyes glancing over the old models of the previously used coca cola bottles. They were all uniquely shaped, but retained the same general mold.

They even got to take a free drink with them after the tour, and they sipped on them greedily, given the sun was still high in the sky. They piled back into the truck and headed off towards the next destination.

Centennial Olympic Park was very similar to Union Square in San Francisco only much, much bigger. There was a lot more to do here as well. While San Francisco boasted about its unique and one-of-a-kind aesthetic, Atlanta stepped it up a bit more with attractions and reasons to stay a bit longer than just seeing the sights.

In the middle was a large, concrete pad. And in the center of that was a splash pad in the shape of the Olympic rings. Water shot up in patterns and different heights as music from speakers played nearby. Kids and even adults ran through it freely, wanting to cool off from the extreme heat.

"Too bad I didn't bring a bathing suit." Riley said, eyeing the water feature as they walked past it.

"You'd have been all wet the rest of the day." Jim said, then shrugged. "Well, maybe next time you visit, we can all come down here and spend some time really enjoying these places."

Past the splash pad, above the tree line, Riley could see a ferris wheel fairly close by. Wow, it even had its own small amusement park? Definitely something San Francisco was sorely missing.

They spent some time enjoying the shade that the park provided from all the tree cover, buying each an ice cream from a vendor and sitting on a bench for awhile. Riley was feeling very content. This trip had been good for her. Perhaps it hadn't started out on the best foot, but it had evolved into what she'd hoped.

Riley shook her head minutely, dashing any further thoughts of her mother away. There wasn't any point dwelling on her fate now. The brunette had been genuine when she'd told her that she didn't ever expect to visit or see the woman again, and that's how it would remain. If she hadn't changed after all these years, there wasn't any point checking again years in the future either.

"Something wrong?" Jim asked, probably noticing her far-off stare and tiny head shake. Meeting his eye, she smiled.

"No, just overthinking. I have a tendency to do that."

"About what? If you don't mind me being a bit nosy." Jim said, licking some of his vanilla cone away.

The brunette shrugged. "Just…this whole trip. It hadn't started out the way I'd planned, meeting her, but I'm glad I did. Because if I hadn't, there's a chance I never would have met you guys."

"Well, we're glad you did too." He assured, wrapping one arm around her shoulders behind her. It was comforting and gentle. "Sometimes the worst circumstances bring out the best outcomes."

"Yeah, I've come to notice that." She said wistfully, thinking of the whole kidnapping incident and how, at least for her, it had brought her and the masked hacker closer together. Sure, she'd legitimately thought she was going to die, but remembering the vague memory of Wrench trying to keep her awake on the warehouse floor while she continued bleeding onto the concrete was still sort of fond.

Finishing their ice cream and wandering through the park a bit longer, they finished up their tour of the city by going to the Atlanta Historical Center. It featured every historical event that shaped Atlanta into what the city was today. Jim was very knowledgable about the Civil War aspect of it, but the museum definitely had more in-depth information that would be impossible for one person to remember it all.

Other sections, about the Civil Rights activism that had occurred, Martin Luther King's influence and success, and all sorts of more community-driven and folksy artifacts made up the rest of the museum. It was neat and extensive, and they took their time wandering through the many halls that the museum sported, taking in all the relics put on display.

They came out feeling much wiser and more humbled about the world around them. At least, Riley did. Learning about events from the past always had that effect on her. Jim looked pretty normal, but maybe he'd been here before. After all, he'd lived here for years by the sound of it. This was probably all things he'd learned forever ago.

It was easy to forget that other people's lives were trooping on, history was being made on a regular basis all around the world. Without you even knowing. Incredible.

Jim lead them back to the truck, and they tumbled inside. He gave her an expectant glance. "So, what'd you think of Atlanta? I imagine it doesn't hold a candle to San Francisco."

"Actually, it's got its own unique charm." Riley admitted as they reversed out of the museum's parking lot. "There's a whole lot more history here than I expected, and the contrast between the old and new just works in a way I don't think it could anywhere else."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Jim joked with a toothy grin, and she laughed.

"Nah, I'd love to come down and explore it in more detail next time. Definitely worth seeing and experiencing."

He nodded, satisfied. "That's good to hear. I'm sure the boys would want to take you around too." They turned down onto a main street, heading towards home. At least, Riley assumed. She honestly didn't have much of a sense of direction here. Which way was North?

"I promised Kathy we'd pick up some dinner on the way back. How does Georgian barbecue sound to you?"

"Really good." Just the word 'barbecue' sent her mouth to salivating more than before. Suddenly, she wondered if she'd ever want to leave this place. Georgian barbecue? History everywhere? Sounded like a dream come true to her. But at the same time, she missed Pants. And DedSec. And Wrench. She missed her own home. No matter how tempting Georgian barbecue every single day was, she couldn't replace the feel of the comfort of San Francisco. Mixed in with the anticipation of food was a small pang of homesickness.

* * *

 

These stupid clicker phone games were the worst. They dragged you in right at the beginning, got you hooked on the instant gratification of leveling things up and the promise of profit, and then it got slower and slower as you played along. Soon enough, you were waiting to progress in the game for longer than you were actually playing it. Wrench had the sudden realization that he'd grown entirely bored of the whole thing and, with more reluctance than he'd readily admit to, he navigated over to his application manager and swiftly deleted the app.

There was an empty space where the icon of the game used to be, and the hacker couldn't help the sudden pang of loss. All that time and effort he'd put into it, just poof. Vanished. Now what was he going to play when he was bored? Like, right now?

Still laying on the couch in his garage, he glanced around at the tables of stuff that he'd had yet to finish. The prototype for a new gun lay in pieces, ready to be put together. Right next to it, among the various tools and things, was Wrench Jr.'s clear plastic dome. Unable to part with the little guy without something to hang onto after he was gone, he'd kept the top dome that had the smiley face painted on it. The display no longer had any light-up eyes behind it, but the smile was enough.

There were dozens of other projects he could work on, but the midday heat had put him into a lull. Plus, after joining Marcus on their successful mission destroying the 580's cocaine the day before, he'd spent the rest of the evening doing just that. Tinkering and putting things together and taking things apart. He was burnt out, honestly.

He'd been dicking around on his phone for awhile now, wasting his day away playing worthless tapping games because there was nothing else he felt like doing. But now, without that, now what? He wished Riley were back home, because he could always talk to her. As it stood, he didn't want to bother her while she was with her aunt and uncle. More on a whim than anything, he navigated to the messages from their conversation last night.

_Hey! Just thought I'd check in. How's Pants? He's not still giving you trouble is he? I hope not._

**He's fine, but half of my clothes are now covered in fur…**

_Yeah, he has a tendency to shed…probably should have mentioned that. Anyway, I'm probably going to spend a few more days with them, then come home. I'm having a lot of fun here!_

**That's awesome. ^.^ Are they more than you expected?**

_A lot more. I wasn't sure what to think going in, but I hoped they'd be good people. Turns out they're even better than good people. Plus, get this…I've got three cousins I don't ever remember having._

**Don't get any ideas about marrying any of them. ~.^**

_That's in rural places, you dork. This is Atlanta. -.- Plus, it's second cousins you can marry. Not cousins._

**Oh, so you're suddenly the expert on incestuous marriage? Your true colors are showing…**

_I'm kicking your ass when I get home. :)_

**Pff. If you can. Should I get you a ladder to reach it?**

_We've devolved into short jokes. This conversation is over!_

**You won't be able to stay away for long. ~.^**

_Hmph. You don't know anything._

**I thought the conversation was over?**

_Goodnight, Wrench! :)_

**^.^**

She hadn't responded after that, but Wrench knew she hadn't actually been upset over his teasing. Riley was just like him in that sense. Between them, anything that could be considered rude or mean-spirited was simply a joke. He liked that about her. She didn't take everything personally.

Glancing at the time, he knew it was too late in the day to message her. It's be around 1 in the morning over there, and he didn't want to wake her up. She always kept her phone on a high volume just in case for emergencies. After the whole kidnapping thing, she'd taken several precautions to make sure she could respond to emergency situations. It was a good gesture.

Even so, his own loneliness while she was on a personal trip wasn't enough of an emergency to warrant him waking her up. Besides, it gave him some time to think to himself. And maybe take a shower, he thought with a grimace, feeling how greasy his hair had become.

Rising from the sofa, he wandered over to the stairs that lead to the second level. After establishing this garage as his home away from the hackerspace, he'd installed the shower and bathroom upstairs. It hadn't been easy, and most likely not up to any sort of city safety code, but it worked, and he had hot, running water. So there was that.

Wrench grabbed a change of clothes from his room next door and wandered into the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, he stripped down to nothing and turned the knob, sending a stream of water down from the nozzle.

It heated quickly, quickly filling the room with steam. Facing the mirror on the wall, Wrench tossed his mask onto the counter and stared into his own reflection.

It was still the same face as usual. That same damn mark above his eye. Did Riley see something different when she looked at him? Because he couldn't see how she could look at him with anything other than pity or disgust. Normally, he didn't stoop so low as to doubt himself like this, but when she wasn't around and he was alone with his thoughts, they tended to ambush him out of nowhere.

He reached up and pulled a few strands of his hair out of his face. He needed a haircut. The sides were getting longer than what he preferred, and feeling his own hair tickling against the top of his ears all the time was annoying. There was only one person he trusted going to. Wrench would call him tomorrow.

The mirror eventually fogged up so much that he could no longer see himself clearly. Only the distorted, blurry form of his indistinct shape. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he stepped into the shower, intent on washing all of these doubts away.


	33. Drunk Conversations

It didn't take much to realize that Wrench was bored. Like, _extremely_ bored. Way more than usual. Marcus had been glancing at him from his peripherals from time to time while he and Sitara had been going over their follower counts. The hacker was sprawled out on the couch at the hackerspace, leg dangling down over the wood of the armrest and tapping his foot in random patterns while silently, almost dejectedly, watching Predator from the many tv screens on the wall.

Normally, Wrench watching Predator would mean he was just in the mood for movies. Hell, the guy watched it about two times a week on average. That wasn't the issue. Noticing he didn't quote all of the best, iconic lines of dialogue? That was suspicious. It was hard getting him _not_ to repeat them for the zillionth time, usually. Nine times out of ten followed up by Ray's snarky 'for the love of god, please shut the fuck up!'

"Uh, hello?" Sitara asked gently, waving a hand in front of his face. One brow was raised in question. "Earth to Marcus?"

The hacker snapped out of his staring and looked back at her. "Everything alright?" She followed up.

"Uh, yeah…sorry, just…worried."

"Worried? We've been on a positive trend for over a month. You think we'll hit a rut?" She asked with a raised brow, before seeing his meaningful glance over at their masked friend. Understanding dawned in her expression. "Ah."

"Mhmm." Marcus said with a grimace of uncertainty.

Sitara set her tablet down and leaned against her printing machine with one arm. "The guy's been pretty mellow while Riley's been away."

"I guess, but…" Marcus trailed off, "I don't think that's it entirely." He looked back at her with guilty look. "I feel bad we haven't spent as much time together as we used to. Maybe he feels sidelined because I've been hanging out with you all the time."

Sitara watched as he almost hesitantly looked her way, as if she'd be angry for saying such things. While it was true she'd enjoyed having the majority of Marcus' attention on her since their little…whatever this was…began, she wasn't petty enough to be angry that he wanted to spend some time with his best friend. Just by Wrench's behavior over the past week, she figured the guy was itching to do something with his hands, but didn't know what. Surely having Marcus around would boost his spirits, and Marcus wouldn't feel guilty about abandoning his friend. It was a win-win.

The female hacker smiled, patting his arm affectionately, but discreetly. Ray was here in the hackerspace for once, after all. And they all knew he sucked at keeping juicy drama secret between the rest of the group. They weren't ready to call this a relationship, but wanted to see how it went first, without the rest of the group nosing their way in.

"Go on, go do something. We can finish this up later." She turned off the screen of the tablet and hugged it close to her chest.

Marcus' eyebrows raised, and he tilted his chin down. "You sure?" She'd been adamant that they go over their numbers and really figure out what their next best target would be. After finishing Tidis' operation a few days ago, they'd stalled, not sure who to target next.

Sitara nodded, waving him away dismissively. "The last thing I want is Wrench getting bored enough to rig something in the hackerspace with explosives. Go break shit somewhere else and spend time with him. Take his mind off of whatever he's brooding about."

Marcus mulled over the possibility and decided that yes, he could stoop to that level if left to his own devices long enough, so he gave her an appreciative nod and wandered over towards his friend.

* * *

 

"Yo, get your ass up. We're going out." Wrench heard Marcus say, feeling his leg kicked off the wood arm rest of the couch and fall to the ground. The hacker moved to stand in front of the tv screen that the masked man had distractedly been zoning out to, preventing him from seeing the next part. He sat up reluctantly, looking back at his friend with bewilderment.

"Out? On a mission?"

"Nah, something fun." Was his grinning reply.

Wrench's mask perked up with his signature happy expression, excited at the prospect of something to do, and he stood from the couch hastily. "Sweet! What have you got in mind?"

"I've got no idea." Marcus chuckled. "Feel like doing anything in particular?"

"Hmm…" Wrench hummed, scratching his neck beneath his mask. He'd been sitting there wondering what he could do anyway, and having Marcus there with him made it all the more fun. Suddenly, so many more possibilities opened up before him.

"I've got a few things in mind." Wrench finally said in a tone that left Marcus wondering if he'd regret this decision at the end of the night. Chances were? He sure would, but it'd be worth it in the end.

* * *

 

Marcus ducked beneath the half-wall that was covered in fake camouflage and other stereotypical army graffiti. It wasn't much, but it was something. Puffing out in heavy pants from running across the clearing like his life depended on it, his breath fogged up the glass of his mask. The visor had splotches of paint in the corners from where a few shots had grazed it, but the rest of his vision was relatively clear.

The short, thin sounds of paintball gunshots filled the air around him, followed by distant yelling and grunts of pain when one hit a particularly vulnerable patch of flesh. Marcus ducked down a few more inches, hoping his head wasn't above the line of sight of the wall. The other team was rather aggressive this time around, but that only added to the fun. He liked a challenge.

Clutching the paintball gun in his own hands a bit tighter, he scooted a few feet to the left, before daring a peek around the corner to the other side of the field. Scattered walls and giant tire stacks, wooden towers and other areas of cover littered the ground, members of both teams dodging and weaving in between them on occasion. Marcus gave them a cursory glance of acknowledgement, but was focused on another person, who had up until that point been mysteriously missing.

Where the hell was Wrench? The few shots he'd taken were all by different strangers also playing the field that day using paints of red and green color, but Marcus knew Wrench was using blue paint. Not even a few pop shots had been sent his way yet.

The hacker ducked back around the wall when shots close by started ringing. A few hit the wall several feet back and to the left of him. They splattered against the wood. Green. Still not Wrench. The absence of his friend so far in this game was worrying, because he was expecting a full-out frontal assault from the anarchist, not this waiting game. It made him sweat nervously.

Figuring that trying to locate one player out of the bunch would take all of his focus, Marcus shook his head and popped up over the wall to take shots on the enemy player currently watching his position. The gun vibrated in his hand, sending small pellets of paint towards the opponent, and Marcus ducked back down quick enough to avoid any returning fire.

He repeated the movement, having seen exactly where the other player had been standing. As soon as he saw a sign of movement, he shot several rounds, pelting the guy on his shoulder pads and chest. The guy staggered back and dropped down again. Marcus did too, smirking to himself in satisfaction. There was something about hitting your target that just left you feeling so-

A loud war cry behind him made him turn, but by then it was already too late. A wave of blue pellet balls splattered Marcus over and over again before he could bring his gun up to return fire. Marcus fell to the ground and squirmed, shouting out when the shots hit between the armored parts of his body.

"Wrench! Alright!" He called, holding up his hands to ward off the shots, which only ended up causing the palms of his gloves to be splattered with paint. "Stop!"

Finally, Wrench relented and stood there proudly, holding his paintball gun over his shoulder as he gazed down at his friend. It was still trippy to see him in a mask other than his LED spiked one, giving Marcus a view of his blue eyes underneath. Which were crinkled in mirth right now.

Marcus, who was nearly entirely blue now, stood shakily to his feet and held out his arms to look at himself. His arms and legs stung like a bitch. "Really?" He asked in exasperation from behind the mask. He could barely see out of it, and wiped one glove across the surface. The paint smeared annoyingly, and it took a few tries before he could see past visor clearly again.

Wrench laughed and shrugged. "That's what you get for ignoring me for like 2 weeks. You know I'm an attention whore, Marky Mark."

"Yeah, I think I get that now." His friend said with mock anger. Shaking his head, Marcus picked his gun back up and shot Wrench in the exposed part of his shoulder. It splattered with orange, and he jumped in place.

"The hell?" Wrench cried out.

Marcus grinned, but he knew his friend couldn't see it behind the mask. "For shooting me so many times. That was way past overkill and you know it. _And_ for ditching me when you first start chasing Riley. You disappeared on me too, man. Just making us even."

"That's…a fair point." Wrench conceded, shaking out his arm to get the feeling back.

Suddenly the air between them whooshed past as pellets were shot in their direction. Both hackers dove to regain the cover behind the wall, shoulder to shoulder.

"Alright, what say we gang up on the rest of these fuckers?" Wrench suggested, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Sounds like a plan." Marcus agreed, a rush of excitement running through his veins. 2 against 18? Those were some nice odds.

* * *

 

The rest of the day was spent hitting some of Wrench's favorite haunts. The pawn shops he frequented to find parts for his crazy inventions, the pier to feed the birds, while hoping that they'd poop on passersby nearby, and even the best taco place in town for dinner. They'd both been craving some tacos all day.

Armed with their Mexican food dinner, and several packs of beer to enjoy between the two, they ended up at Wrench's garage to kick back the rest of the night. The several rounds of paint ball earlier that day had worn them both out. Pushing open the door with one hand that wasn't loaded down with the 24 pack of beer, Wrench entered the space and flicked the lights on.

The chaotic organization that was his garage was illuminated, and they both made their way to the couch by his tables in the corner. Marcus took the opportunity to check out the progress on his motorcycle. Wrench had only made a few more additions since last working on it, but it nearly looked complete. All that was left was a few parts and the paint job. The hacker was eager to be riding it.

Setting down all of their stuff with a sigh of relief, Wrench flopped onto the couch and stretched out. "Home sweet home." He said, reaching up to take off his mask.

Marcus was mildly surprised. Most of the time Wrench just lifted the bottom of his mask to drink at the hackerspace, being at home put him more at ease it seemed.

Realizing that he was taking up all the space on the couch, he straightened and let Marcus sit beside him. All the while, he took out his phone and started on a smooth playlist to keep them both awake but also let them relax while drinking their beer. The first song started over the speakers set up around the space.

The two of them dug into their tacos, filling their bellies, before starting on the cans of beer. Ending the night with some beer had been Marcus' idea, and he was keen to stay relatively sober. But he hoped Wrench would take the opportunity to get drunk. Actually, he was banking on that fact. A drunk Wrench was a talkative Wrench. Plus, it would help him unwind.

As they drank, they talked about casual things. The job. The lifestyle. How much Ray irritated Wrench, which they both cheered to. Marcus liked Ray, don't get him wrong, but the man could really rub someone the wrong way if he chose to.

Two beers in and Marcus let slip the fact that Sitara preferred to be dominant in bed—he knew that would come back to bite him in the ass later—which set Wrench laughing. Mostly because he couldn't get the idea out of his head of Marcus in a maid costume obeying a Master Sitara.

Wrench was up to 5 beers by the time he began slurring his words. Marcus was surprised he hadn't brought up Riley at all so far. Maybe he just didn't know what to say about her. Maybe he just didn't feel like it. Or maybe he was openly avoiding it as a topic of discussion. With Wrench, it was hard to tell.

He was eight beers deep just as Marcus finished his third, and by that time it was getting a bit more difficult to understand him. The hacker figured that he'd probably be a bit more loose lipped than usual, and settled further into the couch. He was concerned about his friend, and hopefully by now he wouldn't get all defensive if he brought up more emotional stuff.

"So, how are you and Riley?" Marcus ventured to ask, eyeing the blonde with interest.

Wrench, who had resorted to lay with his legs tossed over the back of the couch, turned to him with a shrug. "Is's great, jus'…great." He enunciated poorly with a slow nod. His eyes were half lidded, no doubt the alcohol causing his to feel drowsy. Marcus himself was starting to feel it too.

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"How?" Wrench asked in confusion. His brows furrowed, unsure why he needed to explain it. "She's jus…awesome. Riley's the best."

Marcus grinned. "Yeah, she is pretty cool." There was a pause, before he continued. "How are you holding up with her on the other side of the country?"

Wrench blinked several times, throwing one arm up on his forehead and letting it dangle there. "I'm not…worried or anythin'. She's not bringin' her mom back so…thas's good." He frowned deeply, thinking to himself. "Jus'…a lil' jealous."

"Really?" Marcus raised a brow, staring at his friend in bewilderment. "What are you jealous about?"

He gestured with his other hand, which still clutched a half-empty can of beer, to the air above him as if that explained it all. But after a moment, Wrench seemed to find the words for it. "Riley's got family to go back to now…I don' 'ave that."

Marcus watched as he took another long swig of his beer. How he was still able to drink was beyond him, but the guy had built up a tolerance over the past few years. But the revelation that Wrench was envious of the fact that Riley had a family…huh. "What are you talking about, man? You've got us. At DedSec."

"Fuck, I know…" He said morosely, eyes downcast at the beer in his hand. His previously light-hearted demeanor had vanished, replaced instead by the rarely-seen vulnerability he tried to hide. Marcus knew it was there, but he never brought it up. A Sober Wrench would have just punched him in the face for it.

"It's jus'…" He continued on with a searching look in his eyes, as if he himself was looking for an answer. "There'll always be…a lil' part of me that wishes for somethin' a lil' more. Ya know?"

They locked gazes, Wrench's pleading with Marcus to understand what he was saying, because even though he loved DedSec, they were still a replacement to the family that disappointed him throughout his life. They weren't…the real deal. In a sense. Marcus could understand, and didn't feel angry for it at all. They all came from different walks of life. Sure, they all stood for the message that DedSec was trying to promote, but they were their own people with their own problems. Not everything was fixable, and just being really close friends wasn't the solution to everything.

"Yeah, I hear you. Just don't forget that we'll be here for you no matter what." He reassured, raising his empty beer can in an affirmative gesture. Wrench seemed satisfied with that and drank more from his own can. "Riley too." Marcus added as an afterthought.

A long, heavy sigh escaped Wrench's lips after that, and his head lolled to the side. "I fuckin' miss her…" He admitted dejectedly. "I hope she comes back soon…"

"I'm sure she will." He smiled, glad that Riley was on his mind. She was good for him. "And hey, you can pass the time by coming up with something for her for when she gets back."

"Like wha'?" Came his confused question.

Marcus shrugged. "I don't know, she's _your_ girlfriend. You know her better than I do."

"Uhh…I can't think of anythin'." He slurred, before perking up. "No wait…I've got jus' the thing."

"What is it?"

Wrench grinned. "Is's a mystery."

Shaking his head with a laugh, Marcus stood shakily from the couch, trying to clear his head a bit. A few empty beer cans clinked against the concrete floor as his feet brushed against them. "I think you mean a surprise."

"Yeah, that." Was his amused response, shakily pointing at Marcus.

"Nice." Marcus replied, glancing at his phone. It was nearly midnight, and he knew Sitara would want him to at least come home tonight. He figured after spilling some of his more vulnerable secrets, Wrench would want the rest of the night alone. Plus, the guy would be more comfortable in his own bed upstairs than on the couch down here with him. They'd both get better sleep that way.

"You headin' out?" Wrench guessed, seeing him holding his cell. Marcus nodded.

"Yeah, I better get going." He said, already pulling up the SF Driver app to call a car to pick him up. He was way too drunk to drive anywhere, even if he wasn't anywhere near the state of Wrench. "You'll be good on your own?" He asked, making sure just in case. If need be, he'd stay.

"I can take care of myself." Wrench slurred, swinging his legs around the right way and standing with a visible wobble. His arms began to windmill in order to keep his balance, and Marcus reached out to help right him. "Might need a lil' help up the stairs, though…" He admitted with a chuckle.

"Come on, then." Marcus said, remembering to grab the guy's mask off the table before swinging one of Wrench's arms around his neck and dragging them in the direction of the hacker's room. It was a bit difficult, seeing as Wrench was several inches taller than him.

After several near-tumbles down the metal stairs, Marcus was able to guide them both into his room, and Wrench fell into the soft mess of blankets and pillows that was his bed. He groaned, his back getting the relief it needed from being in a bad position on the couch for so long. Marcus tossed the mask onto the nearest counter, but stuck around another moment, making sure he didn't need anything else.

"Text me when you wake up, man." Marcus instructed, and Wrench held up a peace sign in acknowledgement. He probably couldn't manage much more than that at this point.

Marcus sent a text to Sitara to let her know he was on his way home. She had a tendency to wait up on him when he was late, and he wanted to ease her mind just a bit. She replied back within a few minutes, happy that he wouldn't be too much longer, and he stepped outside to wait for his car to pick him up.

* * *

 

Riley blinked rapidly into consciousness, aware that something had waken her up. Her body jolted from the unwelcome interruption of…something. It took a second to realize that her phone's ringtone was going off at a loud volume. The sudden shot of adrenaline coursed through her, and she scrambled in a rush to grab it. Blearily trying to read the screen through her sleepy eyes, she gave up and swiped in the general spot of the answer button, bringing the phone up to her ear.

"…hello?" Was her thick, hoarse, and slightly irritated answer. Who on earth could be calling at this hour? Even back in California it had to be pretty late, right? There was a shuffling noise on the other end, before a familiar voice came through.

 _"_ _You sound so sleepy…"_ Wrench said in amusement, chuckling to himself on the other line. _"A very sleepy Riley…"_

Frowning, the brunette rubbed at her face to try waking up a bit. "Wrench?"

_"_ _Thas's me."_

Something didn't sound right. Sure, the robotic filter was missing, meaning his mask was off, but he didn't sound like his usual self either. More…slurred. "Are you drunk?" She asked, finally able to see clearly enough to tell the time. The alarm clock on the hotel room's nightstand read 3:26 am. He was aware of the time difference between California and Georgia, but maybe he'd forgotten in his stupor.

 _"_ _Drunk?"_ He paused, as if pondering the answer. _"Ex…tremely."_ He drawled out.

Well, at least there wasn't anything bad going on, as her mind quickly wanted to believe. After that whole Bratva incident, she'd been a little jumpy when things were out of the ordinary. Despite being woken up so early, she cracked a smile. The hacker on the other end was quite the dork when he wanted to be. "I can tell. How many beers did you have?"

 _"_ _So many…a lot."_ He said with groan. _"Hard to 'member."_

"You're such a dork." She said, yawning despite resisting the urge. It was way too early to be conversing, but she still enjoying hearing the sound of his voice, unfiltered by the mask, even extremely slurred and barely understandable. "But I guess you're my dork, so…"

 _"_ _I fuckin' miss you."_ He said bluntly. _"An' Marcus will kick my ass if he knows I'm callin' you righ' now…"_

Riley nestled deeper into her pillow, settling down while she spoke. "Why's that?"

_"_ _Yur not s'posed to call people when yur this drunk, but I wanted to talk so is's ok."_

"Well, I miss you too. And I won't tell if you don't." She mused with mirth. By the sound of it, Wrench probably wouldn't even remember this conversation the next morning anyway. He was far gone by now.

 _"_ _Yur not gonna give up DedSec for yur aunt an' uncle are you?"_ He blurted out in a quiet voice.

"What?" She asked, frowning with concern. "Of course not. I'd never do that."

_"…_ _promise?"_

"Wrench, I might have found some new family members, but that doesn't mean I'm leaving to live with them. You're important to me too. I'm staying there in California." She explained evenly. Hopefully he wouldn't keep feeling sad.

 _"_ _Thas's good…"_ He muttered, and it took a moment for Riley to understand what he'd said. There was a long pause, before he spoke again. _"I jus' know that family's important to you and you 'ave all tha' stuff in the box about yur family and-"_ Wrench continued rambling, but Riley had stopped listening after a few seconds, frowning.

"Wait, what box? What are you talking about?" She interrupted.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end. " _I know I wasn' s'posed to look but I couldn't help it…"_

"Wrench, was it the box in my closet?" She guessed, rubbing at her forehead. There was a tiny little pit digging in her chest. She had wanted to keep that private, but it seemed pretty likely it was the one he'd found.

 _"_ _Yeah…"_ He confirmed, and she sighed.

"What were you doing in there anyway?" She asked, honestly confused how he could have stumbled across her box of memories. All he was there to do at the apartment was feed Pants. What turn of events had lead him there?

_"_ _Th' cat knocked stuff over so I looked around everywhere to see if there was more. I found it there."_

"Wrench…" She started, unsure of what she wanted to say. She was a little disappointed that he'd gone through her stuff without her permission or knowledge, but she knew how curious and rule-breaking he was. She supposed she should have seen this coming. And honestly, it wasn't like he didn't know everything having to do with the contents of the box anyway. At least he was admitting to it, too. Not lying and trying to cover it up. Though, she was willing to bet he wouldn't have brought it up accidentally like this while sober.

_"'_ _m an' asshole, I know, 'm sorry…"_

"I forgive you, just…" Riley tucked some of her hair more comfortably around her face, feeling it itch her neck, "please don't do that again. If you're curious about something just ask me instead."

_"_ _Ok."_

"You're a pain in the neck sometimes, you know that?"

 _"_ _Yeah…"_ He admitted a small laugh. There was a brief silence between them, neither quite sure what to say, before he broke it. " _Come home soon."_

"I will." She smiled gently, a warm feeling rising in her belly. Previous irritations quickly fading,it was nice to know he was thinking about her. "I'm gonna spend a few more days with them, but I'll be back in no time."

Wrench grumbled something she couldn't understand through his slurring, but she was curious as to how things were at home. He hadn't talked much about their operations while she'd been gone. "Have you guys gone after Tidis yet?"

 _"_ _Yeah, Wrench Jr. was great!"_ His enthusiasm came back in full swing, proud of his little robot for successfully completing the mission. _"He took down the whole building."_

"I wish I could have seen it." She said. After all the research into Tidis, she honestly wished she'd gotten to see some of it come to fruition herself. But at least they got the information they needed.

 _"_ _I gotta video. You can see when you get home."_ He said proudly.

"Awesome." She said genuinely, but couldn't help yawning yet again. She was pretty tired. And Kathy had a long day planned out for them. She didn't want to cut Wrench off, but she really needed the sleep.

Before she could say anything else, he continued on. _"You should'a seen the spider. Marcus gets all th' fun. Machine guns and giant claws…"_

Riley was having a hard time understanding what he was saying. Spider? Machine guns? "What?"

_"_ _It d'stroyed everythin'."_

"O-kaay…?" She drawled, still not getting what was going on. "I think you should go to bed, Wrench."

 _"_ _Wha'? Nooo…"_ He whined in a slur, which caused her to chuckle under her breath.

"You're not making any sense right now. Why don't you sleep off all that beer and text me when you wake up?"

 _"_ _Heh, that's wha' Marcus said too."_ He laughed, finding that funny somehow. Then, he groaned suddenly, the laughter dying away. _"My head hurts…"_

"If you sleep, the headache will go away." She reasoned, smiling when he mumbled something else she couldn't decipher. "Don't be grumpy about it."

_"_ _M'not grumpy…"_

"Yes you are. Now go to sleep."

 _"…_ _ugh, fine."_ He grumbled again, the sound of shuffling fabric in the background. If she were to guess, he was tangled up in his bedspread right now, trying to get comfy.

"Sleep tight, dork."

_"_ _G'nigh'."_

Smiling, Riley hung up the phone and put it back on the nightstand. The conversation had woken her up, but the warmness of the bed was already lulling her back to sleep. She settled further down into the bed and shifted the pillow until it was comfortable for her. Closing her eyes, she dreamed of a drunk Wrench and smiled.

* * *

Aw, shit. _Shit._ Wrench was about ready to kick Drunk Wrench's ass ten ways to Sunday. Staring at his phone's call history, the raging hangover still pounding away at his temple, he saw Riley's number at the very top. Dated the night before. And it hadn't gone through to her voicemail. She'd answered. In fact, the call had lasted almost ten minutes. Just what he needed. A phone call he couldn't remember coupled with the sneaking suspicion that he'd made a fool of himself or said something he shouldn't have.

Not much of the previous night was still left in his head. That happened after about 7 beers in. If the number of beer cans on his garage floor was any indication, he'd had at least 8 or 9. Well, unless Marcus had down nearly 6 of them, which he very much doubted.

It was almost 4 in the afternoon by the time he woke up. As promised, he'd texted Marcus to let him know he was up. And Riley, too.

Marcus predictably replied first, asking if he was up to help him with a job, but Wrench declined. The most he could do is moan and groan in the passenger seat, annoying his friend with the pain of his hangover. Wouldn't be much help. The hacker seemed to understand, and said he'd ask Ray instead.

Wrench's eye twitched at the mention of Ray, but after the success of the Tidis mission, things had started to stabilize between them. The animosity had mostly dissipated, but that didn't mean he was going to get all buddy-buddy with the man. But he knew that it was easier and safer if Marcus didn't go alone, so he just gave an affirmative reply.

Nor did he mention the fact that he'd called Riley after they'd parted ways. Best to keep it to himself.

It took another half hour for Riley to respond back, saying that he sounded cute when he was drunk. He wondered if she did that just to mess with him, no doubt aware he'd been too far gone to remember anything from the night before. How cruel, yet incomprehensibly attractive. Riley could tease him about anything and he'd probably find it kind of hot.

Not to mention, it was a bit of a relief, too. She didn't seem mad at him for anything, so that was a good sign. He just hoped she wasn't trying to act like everything was normal for his sake.

The brunette texted back saying she was spending the day with Kathy and her friends, so she would talk to him later. Marcus was busy with the mission. Which left him with no one to talk to. He flopped onto the couch, tossing empty beers still left there to the floor. Stretching out to pop his back, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes behind his mask. Maybe a nice, long nap was the perfect remedy for this hangover. Yes, a lazy day was what he needed.


	34. A Proper Welcome

"Oh, it was wonderful to have you here, honey." Kathy mumbled into Riley's shoulder as she held her in a tight embrace. The woman's hand rubbed smoothly on the brunette's back, soothing and reassuring her that they wouldn't forget her once she left. "This past week has been such a blessing."

"I'm glad I came down to see you guys, too." She said, hugging just as tightly back. A sudden breeze swept hot air across the porch they all stood on, reminding her that this wasn't the home she was used to. California's breezes were normally chillier thanks to the Bay.

She would definitely miss them, but she was beginning to get homesick. She missed the craziness of San Francisco and it's many unique people. One unique group of people in particular.

Kathy squeezed a bit harder, just for good measure, and Jim stepped closer with a shake of his head. But Riley could tell he wasn't actually upset. He just liked to pretend sometimes.

"Jesus, Kathy, you hold any tighter and she'll snap in half. Besides, I haven't gotten a chance to hug our niece goodbye yet."

Her aunt reluctantly stepped back and gave her husband a dry stare. "I'm sure she can handle a little tough love, Jim. And you're impatient as always."

"Go on, now, it's my turn." He shooed her to the side with a grin, taking the opportunity to envelope Riley in a tight hug of his own. "We're thankful to have you down here, kiddo. Me especially. And you better promise to come back for a holiday or two in the future."

"I definitely will!" She said into his chest, her arms wrapped around his back. She relished both of their warm hugs for a bit longer, before stepping away.

Kathy began to fret again, as she had been for the past hour. Seemed all that motherly instinct was overflowing and had nowhere else to go. "Now, give us a call when you get to the airport, and when you land in San Francisco. I don't care how late it may be, you can text or call."

"I will." She promised with a nod and a rueful smile. They were just worried about her leaving now that they'd met her for the first time. To have her taken away after just meeting her would be tragic. It was more for them than for her. She glanced at her phone to check the time, and her eyes widened to see that she was running a little behind. Perhaps the goodbyes had taken a bit longer than anticipated. "But it looks like I'm running late, so I'd better get out of here."

"We both love you, kiddo." Jim added as she began backing away from the porch.

"Love you too!" She called.

"Drive safe!"

"Will do!"

They both watched as she walked down the driveway to her rental car, which was parked about halfway up. She rounded around to the driver's side, opening the door and sliding inside easily. Tossing her purse in the passenger seat, the brunette dug out her keys and started up the engine. It purred to life comfortably.

When she shoved it into reverse to back out, she glanced over at the porch, seeing both Jim and Kathy waving to her in farewell. She returned the gesture, smiling widely.

Once onto the street, she threw it into drive and started down the street towards the main road, weaving in and out of the trees of the neighborhood. It looked just as gorgeous as when she'd arrived.

Riley had already checked out of the hotel that morning, all of her stuff in the back seat of the car. So her only stop before the airport would be a gas station to fill up before turning in the rental. Thankfully, she remembered seeing one not too far from the airport when leaving it the first time. She'd have to pick up the pace a bit if she wanted to make it by the time she was comfortable with. It would still be early for her flight, but when it came to something important like a flight, she liked to be at least an hour early. Just to be safe.

The traffic wasn't that bad driving back. It was a Wednesday after all. Not too many travelers in the middle of the week like this. She was willing to bet San Francisco would still be packed when she arrived, but then again, it was almost always busy.

The brunette thought about turning on some music, but decided she liked the silence, save for the dull hum of the car as it drove along the road. It gave her time to reflect on her trip.

* * *

 

Wanting to keep her arrival home a surprise, Riley hadn't told anyone that she was coming back that day. As far as they were concerned, she still had a day or so left of her trip, and she'd be back on Friday. It wasn't exactly a _lie,_ per se, she just wanted to see the expression on Wrench's face—or mask, depending on the scenario—when she stepped through the door and he wasn't expecting it. How excited would he be? Did he really miss her that much?

As she stepped off the plane and walked through the gate into the San Francisco airport, she took a deep breath of the familiar scent of the air and smiled. It was good to be home. She'd missed the bay and the sun and the people and the-

Another passenger bumped into her shoulder from behind, interrupting her appreciation of having come back, and she sent an irritated glare his way. The guy didn't even look at her, too busy talking on a cellphone and pulling a rolling suitcase. Prick.

Ok, so maybe she didn't miss everything about San Francisco.

Figuring that she was little more than an obstruction, just standing there looking around in the middle of the open room filled with people, Riley got a better grip on her suitcase and headed towards the exit.

Of course, she made it a point of stopping by the closest Chinese food establishment there was. Georgia just didn't do Chinese like San Francisco did, and boy, had she missed that. Eyes nearly rolling to the back of her head from the magnificent taste, Riley relished the sweet and savory taste of the teriyaki over the chicken and rice, scarfing it down in record time.

Grabbing her car from the airport parking lot and paying the $145 parking fee with a whole lot of grumbling—seriously, how did airports justify charging $20 per day just to park a car?—the brunette started her drive back home.

Ah, yes. The god-awful traffic. Another thing she hadn't missed. Her drive home was slow, as the traffic heading away from the airport was busy. But it gave her a great, long view of the bay as she drove. That was a plus.

All of the familiar streets and buildings were a welcome sight. It was relieving to be back in the place that she actually knew where things were. Being in an unfamiliar city for long periods was a bit disorienting. Even for trips to a Walmart or something. Her sense of direction and destination was non-existent there. Here, everything was familiar and exactly where she knew it would be. Comforting.

As she rounded the corner and her apartment complex came into sight, the irritation from the slow drive and her long hours of driving finally melted away, a wide smile splitting her face and a sense of relief falling on her shoulders. Home. God, it was amazing to be home. Nowhere in the world like it.

Her car drove around the small lot and parked in her usual spot. With a twist of her wrist the engine was shut off, and she just sat there a moment. Wow. What a glanced at her suitcase in the back seat, and finally exited out the driver's side door. Retrieving her stuff, she shut and locked her car, walking towards the stairs to her apartment.

"Pants?" She called into the empty space as soon as she walked inside, and she was met with a distant meow down the hallway. By the time the door closed behind her, her beloved feline came running from down the hallway, observing her as she entered.

"Oh, I've missed you little buddy!" She said, dropping her things and leaning down to her knees. "Come here!" She encouraged with her arms reaching out towards him. This time around, he wasn't scared, and came to her side immediately.

Riley spent the next ten minutes or so just sitting on the floor, loving on Pants with no restraint. He seemed to appreciate it, but still warily looked at her from time to time. You're late, that expression said. Were you abandoning me to die?

"I know, I know. I didn't expect to be gone so long, but I'm home now. Everything's alright."

Sure it is, he communicated with a flick of his tail as she pet him.

"How about some food, huh?" She offered, and he was immediately up and running towards the fridge. She smiled, happy to have her best friend back again.

* * *

 

_Hey, is Wrench at his garage right now? Or is he with you?_

Marcus frowned down at the message, but typed out a response anyway. The question just seemed a bit out of place, considering Riley was out of state.

**Pretty sure he's at his place. Why?**

_I'm actually back in town early. Just arrived this afternoon! :) But I want to surprise him. Didn't want to accidentally bump into him before I want him to know._

**Awesome, welcome back! Sitara will be glad to hear that. I think she mentioned having a few ideas for some exposure ops. But anyway, you can deal with that later. He should be at his garage unless he wandered off on his own without telling someone.**

_Thanks! I'm sure I'll see you guys later today or tomorrow. :)_

Marcus put away his phone, focusing once more on the drone that was flying beside a sabotaged phone box high above him. It was best to leave her and Wrench with some space for the rest of the day. He wasn't keen on walking into something he'd rather not see.

* * *

 

It would have been easiest to sneak in via the large, garage doors, but both were currently closed. Riley was lucky that Wrench liked playing music over the speakers though, because it masked the sound of the side door opening. She cracked it an inch, hoping that he wasn't looking in this general direction when she did so. Hearing the thrashing of some heavy metal music overhead, she was confident that he hadn't heard a sound over all that screaming. She couldn't see anything in the inch of space available to her, so she pushed it open a bit more. Then a bit more. Then a little bit more until she was shuffling inside in a half crouch.

One of the large, rolling cork boards was between her and Wrench, who stood with his back facing her. He was working on something at one of the tables, nodding his head along to the music playing overhead. At this angle, she wasn't able to see the eyes of his mask, which could help determine if he noticed someone sneaking their way into his garage.

She held the knob open while she slid the door closed, hoping it would scrape against the metal framing. She grit her teeth when it stuck for a moment, and she had to push with a bit more effort for it to go in all the way. Apparently the door was just slightly misaligned and didn't close completely perfect. Damn. She whipped her head around and saw that Wrench hadn't changed behavior, so he probably hadn't noticed.

She tip-toed her way behind the cork board, for once thankful that Wrench was a bit of a junk hoarder. Her legs would have normally stuck out the bottom, as the board itself was raised up high, but a large pile of boxes now sat in front of it, giving her good cover.

Daring a peek around the edge, she watched as Wrench tinkered with what appeared to be a bomb? of some sort on the table. It was small, even smaller pieces littered around it. Wrench was busy screwing something into place, posture indicating he was concentrating hard. At this distance, she could hear him humming to the music. Cute, she thought with a smile, deciding to watch him for just a second in his natural habitat.

Suddenly, he began to turn around, and she whipped her head back around the cork board, hoping he hadn't seen the movement. Wrench acted as if nothing had caught his interest or surprise, so she assumed she was safe. Now she just had to wait for an ideal opportunity to strike.

* * *

 

Wrench listened intently, his back to the smoke grenade he was currently putting together, as Riley tried to ninja her way towards him without garnering his attention. It had been difficult not to give away that he'd caught onto what she was trying to do when he'd heard the garage's side door shut, but it was funny to see her try.

There was a light feeling in his chest, elation at knowing she was home, but he tried suppressing it as much as he could, not wanting those damned hearts to display over his mask. That would give it all away, and he wanted this little game to go on a bit longer. How long would it take her to actually try?

* * *

 

Wrench returned back to his little project on the table, his back once again turned to her. She smiled, gaining the confidence that she could be quiet enough not to alert him with her shoes. Rising from her crouch, she tip-toed around the cork board and slowly came up behind him.

The distance between them lessened. 5 feet. Then 3. Riley was just about ready to jump forward when Wrench whirled around hastily. Startled, Riley let out a yelp and tried leaping backwards, but he'd grabbed her by the waist and spun her around with him, placing her back against the table.

He made a few tsk-ing noises with his mouth, shaking his head slowly. "Once again, you have much to learn, young padawan." He said in obvious amusement, the X's of his mask flashing to a quick wink, before maintaining his happy expression.

"Oh, come on!" She cried out, crossing her arms in front of her in a pout. "There's no way you saw me."

"Maybe I did." Was his cryptic response.

"Nuh uh. I was careful."

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Wrench added in an accented voice, twiddling his fingers for dramatic effect.

"How." She demanded with a smile she couldn't shake, poking him in the chest, and noticing that his hands hadn't moved from her hips. They squeezed affectionately. "How did you know I was here? Did Marcus tell you?"

"Uh, no?" He tilted his head in confusion, eyes flashing question marks, before returning to normal.

"Damnit, tell me! I need to know!" She chuckled, failing to keep up the mock anger at having been caught.

He laughed too, enjoying her struggle. "Does it even really matter?"

"Yes! I need to know how to do better for next time."

"Oho, so there'll be a next time? Guess I'll just have to watch my back from now on." He promised with another wink, and she threw her head back.

"Ugh, you're ridiculous."

"I sure am," he said proudly, releasing one side of her hip so he could reach up and take off his mask, blue eyes narrowed as he grinned, "but you knew that from the start."

Riley hummed and stared up into his face, smiling gently. "Maybe so…" She felt him place the mask on the table behind her, before his hand returned to her waist. Her arms, which had remained crossed up to that point, unwound themselves and snaked around his neck. Inadvertently pulling them closer together.

She wasn't sure which one leaned in first to meet the other, but they both ended up with closed eyes and their lips moving slowly against each other in a familiar rhythm. Dragging the hood down from his head unconsciously, her fingers moved to card through his blonde hair. She heard him let slip a tiny sigh, hands gripping her tighter as he pulled her closer to his chest.

"I missed having you here." He muttered against her lips quietly, before stealing any chance of a reply by kissing her again. She tugged playfully at his hair, making him let out a tiny moan of pleasure.

"I missed being here." She eventually said, raw and breathless, before the words were forgotten in the feeling of being together again. Had it really been a week since she'd last gotten to do this? Damn.

Seconds felt longer, and the kiss grew more intense with each one that ticked by. Somewhere in the back of her head, she registered that the music still played overhead. The hands at her hip slowly drifted upwards, cradling her from the back tenderly but with a fierceness that communicated just how much he'd missed her. And as he tasted her with increasing insistency, his lips and tongue urging her to follow his lead, Riley was beginning to think she'd been stupid for leaving him behind at all. If this is what she'd been missing this whole week, well…she'd think twice before doing so again.

Her ass was pushed harder into the edge of the table as he crushed her against it, and she let out a sound of both pain and pleasure. Wrench took that as encouragement, seeing as she didn't push him away, and suddenly broke their lip lock.

Wrench's arm swiped across the table behind her, sending all the junk he'd been working on to the ground in a metallic clatter. Then, his strong arms grabbed her by the legs and hoisted her up on the table.

"What are-" She started to protest, but was cut off by his lips snatching up her own again. Getting the hint, Riley opened her legs a bit wider to accommodate his hips as he stepped closer. They wrapped around his waist and held him there, and she shivered as he ran his hands along the underside of her jean-clad thighs, securing her place against him.

Her lungs quickly running out of oxygen to breathe, she pulled back and greedily panted. Wrench's forehead rested on hers, their eyes still closed, as they recovered. She could feel his hot breath on her face.

Breaking the moment they'd created, a loud blaring song began to play from behind Wrench. He sighed in irritation, moving one of his hands on her legs to grab whatever was causing the sound. Riley opened her eyes to see he was holding his phone in his hands, staring at the caller ID.

"Nice fucking timing, Ray…" He muttered darkly, still out of breath. The brunette smiled, grabbing his phone out of his hands and swiped at the 'ignore call' button before he could answer it.

"I've waited a week to see you. Ray can wait a few more minutes. Right now, you're all mine until I get a proper welcome back." She claimed with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Seeing the heat rise in his own, she took a grip of his spiked vest and dragged him back to meet her lips.

Wrench cradled her face with both hands, claiming her mouth as his and eliciting a rush of pleasure through Riley's body. A shiver ran down her spine in anticipation, and she let loose her own sigh of pleasure. There was a growing hardness in Wrench's pants right where her center met his, which only spurned her further. She was curious to see if he was willing to go that far with her, or if he'd stop. Because she certainly was willing.

The phone, which sat beside her on the table, buzzed and began playing Wrench's ringtone again. He made no move to pick it up, fingers dragging themselves backwards into her hair, angling her head just as he wanted it in an attractively desperate kiss. As if he expected her to turn to dust in his arms if he didn't.

Without opening her eyes Riley's hand scrambled around beside her for the phone, swiping blindly where the ignore button should be. The phone was silenced, and she returned her hands to his vest. Tired of feeling the hardness of the spikes against her chest she pushed at the shoulders of the garment, and he reluctantly released her to let it fall to the floor. She ran her fingers down the front of his hoodie in excitement, wishing there wasn't anything blocking her access to his bare chest. She wanted to feel over his tattoos and watch him shudder from the sensation.

Again, the phone rang, and again she ignored the call, obediently lifting her head when Wrench pulled down on her hair gently. His lips traveled from her own down to her jaw, then latched onto her pulse on the flesh of her neck, sucking and licking and kissing. Riley hummed and let out a gasp, encouraging him further with her sounds of pleasure.

Riley's ears were assaulted by that annoying ringtone again, and it seemed Wrench was fed up with hearing it too. He growled against her neck and straightened, grabbing the device with a muttered "For fuck's sake…"

Wrench swiped to answer the call and aggressively brought it to his ear. His tone was still breathless as he spoke. "You'd better have a damn good reason for interrupting me right now."

Being so close to Wrench's face, Riley could hear Ray's reply from the speaker. _"Not meanin' to cock-block you or anything amigo, but you did promise to get me that smoke grenade. I'm waitin' on you to get this done."_

She watched the hacker glance down at the floor where he'd swept all of the stuff off the table. Riley smiled with amusement, leaning forward to gently kiss his cheek. "Give me an hour?" Wrench negotiated, but Ray sighed heavily on the other end.

_"_ _I don't have time to sit around hopin' you decide to do it."_

"I've already promised I will. Give me an hour."

_"_ _Stop thinking with your dick and get your ass in gear. This is time sensitive! I told you, I'm helping out a former business partner get out of a tough spot, remember?"_

His eyes rolled, but she could see he knew this was important. Riley was still wrapped around him, and she smiled at him sadistically, leaning forward again to graze her teeth against his neck gently, giving him a taste of what he'd done to her.

She watched his eyes flutter and he let out a sigh, but still retained an even tone when he spoke to Ray. "Alright, alright…20 minutes. I'll have it done."

 _"_ _Much appreciated."_ Ray grumbled on the other end before hanging up. Wrench tossed his phone back on the table and leaned forward to bite Riley's ear, who'd continued showering his neck with nips and kisses. She gasped, and he chuckled.

"Keep that up and you'll regret it." He promised quietly against her ear. Riley relented and leaned back away from him, giving him an innocent smile, but he wasn't buying it. He could see her lips were swollen from being kissed so much, which only boosted his own ego.

"I don't think I would." She replied cheekily, before going in for one last quick kiss. "But your 20 minutes are ticking down. You'd better start working on that thing for Ray."

He didn't need the reminder, but it helped to get his head straight. Bringing up Ray was a great way to put a cold damper on his tented pants. As much as it still ached down there, knowing the older hacker would be here in half an hour was a great incentive to calm his raging hormones.

He sighed again, but stepped back away from her when she relaxed her legs' grip around his waist. She hopped down from the table and stooped to help him pick up the forgotten pieces that he'd tossed to the ground carelessly. Wrench also put his spiked vest back on, grabbing it from the floor where it had fallen.

"Can I watch?" She asked after they'd found all of the components, dragging the closest metal chair over and plopping it down beside where he was working. Wrench, who'd put his mask on in an effort to prevent him from giving into the urge to just start kissing her again, flashed his happy expression. It was nice to have her back home.

"Of course!"


	35. The Sad Tale of Wrench

Riley stole a glance around at the hackerspace, breaking her focus from the computer screen for just a moment as she created the template for her next blog piece. She was seated on the couch, typing away in the hackerspace while Wrench worked on some of his other projects at the Wrench Bench. Including, but not limited to, the grenade launcher - flamethrower hybrid weapon, a 'new and improved' version of Nudle's Alexa robot assistant with insulting, snarky responses to any request, and Marcus' motorcycle helmet. Apparently, he wanted something cool and one of a kind when it came to his protective headwear, and Wrench was just the person to hook him up with something never before seen. Of course, 'never-before-seen' in Wrench's eyes most likely included something potentially dangerous, but so it goes.

They'd been enjoying each other's company all morning, content to just be around each other while they both worked. No more than a handful of words had been exchanged between them that morning, but that was just fine. Riley knew it was a comfortable silence, not filled with tension, so she wasn't worried one bit.

Nor were they alone in the hackerspace, as the others went about their business.

Josh was set up at his computer like usual, going over their follower counts and other analytics. Ray, for once, was in the hackerspace with them all, doing something on his phone in the corner over by Josh. It seemed he'd taken care of his super secrets errands since joining the group, pretty much all of which he wouldn't disclose. Besides asking Wrench to make him that smoke grenade, he really hadn't talked about any of the others that much.

Sitara and Marcus were discussing something over by her graffiti station, a laptop perched on top of her printer. They were gesturing and shaking their heads at whatever was on the screen, perhaps disagreeing over the topic of interest. Riley couldn't hear them from her seat on the couch, however, and wasn't curious enough to ask. It probably wasn't her business anyway.

She returned her attention back to her own project, wanting to get as much of this done as she could. It had been a hot minute since she'd last posted an update to her blog. Not out of laziness, but she'd had a lot going on and…ok, so it _was_ out of laziness. Even while away, she could have added to her blog at last once. No excuses or reasons could save her now.

After getting the layout of the page all set to what she wanted, Riley began typing up the first draft, lost in her own mind as she contemplated word choice and paragraph topics. She wanted to tie it in with the group's latest exposure video, regarding the dirty cops that had been using the ctOS system to cover up their crimes. Hmm…what would garner the most interest with the title? And the follow up preview sentence had to be just as good too, otherwise most people wouldn't read past that point.

Eyes narrowed in concentration, fingers flying across her keyboard once she got an idea to roll with, the brunette didn't even notice as Wrench approached her from behind.

He leaned down right next to her ear, smiling behind his mask. _"Boo."_ He whispered.

The effect was immediate. Riley jumped in place, nearly knocking the laptop off of her legs and onto the floor, if not for her quick reflexes. "Jesus fuck…" She muttered breathlessly, whirling to face him. "Goddamnit, Wrench."

Luckily he backed away before she could cause him any bodily harm, holding his hands up defensively. "You're way too easy to scare, you know."

"I zone out! I can't help it!" She said with a hand on her chest, the smile rising on her face despite the rude interruption to what she'd been doing. He laughed, mask displaying his amusement, before stepping closer to her. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a green-hooded head peak out from behind one of the supporting walls, wondering what all the commotion was. Riley flashed Josh an apologetic smile before turning to fake-glare at the tall idiot. She got herself all back in order, her breath finally slowing down from the scare. "What is it?"

"What have you got going on tonight?"

Riley frowned, eyes darting to the side as she thought. "Uh…nothing I know of."

That seemed to perk him up. "Good. Don't plan anything."

"Why?"

"We're going on a date."

Well. That was certainly…not at all what she'd been expecting. Shit, it wasn't like Riley wasn't up to going out with Wrench. He just didn't seem like the 'date' type. Things had been going well at the pace they'd taken, hanging out all the time. The brunette hadn't anticipated him seeking anything more than that. It didn't seem like they necessarily needed to, but if he was suggesting it, then…

"Ok, do you want me to find a place-"

"Nope!" He immediately cut her off with a hand. "Let the Wrench work his magic to bring you a night you'll never forget." He finished off with a dramatic wink, spreading his hands in a flourish.

Riley couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips at his actions, and she crossed her arms. "Is that so?"

"Yuup, which means," he said, closing the lid to her laptop and taking it from her, "I'll have to kindly ask you to go away for awhile so I can get everything set up and planned out. Can't have you knowing what we're doing until it actually starts."

Riley took a moment to mull over what he'd said, before scoffing in amusement. "You're kicking me out of the hackerspace?"

"Well, if we want to get technical…" The hacker trailed off with a toss of his head, shrugging slightly.

"And here I thought chivalry wasn't dead." She jabbed jokingly with a grin, standing from the couch and grabbing her bag.

He handed the laptop back to her, mask suddenly switching back to his default X's as he became serious. "I know, I sound like a total ass, and…I mean, if you don't want to, that's-"

"No, no!" She waved her hands to stop his downward spiral from even starting. "I do, you just caught me by surprise is all."

Riley tried smoothing it all over with a bright smile, hoping he wouldn't think she were actually upset for being kicked out of the hackerspace. She'd been joking to begin with, and now that he'd dropped the idea of a date in front of her, she was excited for what he had in store. What sort of crazy shit would a Wrench Date be comprised of? She'd never be able to guess.

Her tactic seemed to have worked, because Wrench met her smile with a happy expression of his own, glad she was still in good spirits. "Sweet, I'll text you when I've got it all put together?"

"Sounds like a plan." Was her reply, poking him lightly in the chest before turning towards the stairs.

Wrench watched as she flashed Sitara and Marcus a peace sign as she passed them by, and they waved a greeting, even amidst their little argument at the graffiti artist's printer. Wrench was just glad everyone was too distracted by their own shit to worry about what he was trying to do. He didn't want everyone on his case about taking Riley on a date. He didn't need the headache of dealing with all that teasing.

* * *

 

It was harder than Riley was willing to admit to avoid texting Wrench with her countless questions. Her blog page finished and posted, the brunette had resorted to scrolling through Facebook and a few other of her social media pages that had been somewhat neglected. Jeez, she really needed to update her profile picture, eyeing her short cut hair in the photo. That had been a phase which died quickly. Chopping off her hair had been the worst mistake ever. And she'd received a plethora of amused teasing from a certain hacker for it when he'd discovered her profile picture. Yeah. Definitely time for a change.

Not in the mood to take a new picture, however, she tapped the home screen and began scrolling through her friend's pages, seeing if they'd posted anything new.

It seemed in the few hours since Riley had been at the hackerspace Sitara and Marcus had came to some sort of agreement or solution to their argument from earlier, because they were both posing in a selfie together in front of the guy dressed up like a crab. They were angled just right to get him in the background, both of them pointing to him with amused expressions on their faces. They seemed happy enough, and not like they'd been arguing hours previously. Riley's eyes narrowed, wondering if there was more between the two of them than they let on, but she couldn't be sure. Marcus was friendly with everyone, and Sitara could chill with any of the DedSec crew comfortably. Hmm, still. If they were actually a thing, they made a cute couple.

Was she close enough friends with Sitara to ask directly? Now that the thought was out there, it was burning through her mind. She wanted to know if they were actually a thing.

Which brought her thoughts back to Wrench. Ugh, she was so curious about this date. How long had he wanted to go on one? Had he been waiting for her to say something first? God, now she felt like a terrible person. Hopefully he didn't think she didn't want to go with him.

What sort of thing did he have in mind? She navigated over to her texts out of habit, fingers poised to ask her question, but she stopped. It was kind of thrilling not knowing what he had planned. Plus, she was willing to bet he wouldn't tell her even if she did ask. There was no need to go distracting him right now. Her impatience was just showing through again.

Feeling like a lazy shit, she realized she hadn't even thought about what she'd wear for it. Standing from the couch, Riley made her way to her stuffed closet, searching through all of her options.

* * *

 

The evening rolled around much slower than Riley would have liked. Though waiting anxiously for anything does that to you. Damn her own impatience, because by the time Wrench texted her the address to meet him at, she was nearly pacing her living room. Pants watched from the back of the couch lazily, watching her with a mixture of disinterest and having nothing else to occupy his time with. His eyes were barely more than narrow slits.

Riley had decided to go with her favorite jeans and a silky, blue blouse that she normally had worn at work for ProviBlue. It reflected enough business casual to be appropriate, but just enough flirty that it worked for a date too. It was a bit chilly this late, so she topped it with one of her nicer leather jackets. Because of the California heat, the brunette didn't get to wear it all that often.

She kept pulling at the blouse, for whatever reason worried it didn't look right with the jacket, as she drove her car up the road away from the city. Her palms were sweaty against her steering wheel and—hell, where were all these nerves coming from? It wasn't like they weren't already dating. They'd sort of skipped past all this and gone straight into a relationship. What was the risk here? Still, Riley wondered if perhaps she'd overdressed for the occasion? She had no idea what he had in mind for this date, or where she was even going for that matter.

The address didn't pull up a name of the destination on her maps app. Hmm. Still, she trusted Wrench, and drove until she stopped in front of the power line station for the city. Furrowing her brow, she double checked that she'd indeed typed in the correct address that Wrench had sent her. Yup, this was the place. Another car—one she didn't recognize, but as she'd come to find out that really didn't mean much—was parked further up the road, right by the fence surrounding the small station.

It was a far cry from the giant facilities located further in the woods that handled the brunt of San Francisco's phone network. Rather, this seemed to be a auxiliary station, maybe for maintenance or monitoring of certain analytics. Riley wasn't sure. She wasn't an engineer or anything.

Unplugging her phone from the aux port, she stuffed it in her pocket and got out of her vehicle. The sun had set, and it was quickly growing dark, but now that her eyes were adjusting to the darkness, she spotted a figure leaning against the fence by the vehicle, waiting for her. The lack of LED emoticons glaring back at her in the darkness made her smile. He had his mask off.

He straightened when she got closer and smiled. "Hey…you look…really good." He glanced down at her outfit, and she swore she could see his cheeks tint red in the darkness. But maybe it was just her imagination. "Fuck, I should have picked something different to wear."

He was sporting his usual attire, but the jeans had been switched out for a pair that didn't sport holes in the knees. The spiked jacket was ever-present, but she was secretly glad. It had grown on her ever since meeting him. She just couldn't picture him without it anymore. Riley looked down at her outfit and shrugged.

"What? No way, I like it. I just overdressed is all. Sorry." She said, giving him a lopsided, apologetic smile, but he simply shook his head and offered her his elbow.

"Let's just agree we both look fine as hell." He shrugged with a grin. "You ready for a bomb-ass date?"

"Ready and waiting." She said, linking her arm in his as he lead them along the fence line. A gate stood open further down, but suddenly all her burning questions came to mind. Maybe now would be a good time to ask them. Maybe Wrench would be willing to answer them. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Eh, ever since you got back from Georgia." He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, but Riley felt a pang of guilt. Two weeks? Had he been dropping hints? Was she oblivious to it? The brunette hoped not.

Well, on the other hand, it was a really flattering gesture for him to have worked so hard on this date. Obviously he thought it was important, and…she must mean a lot to him for him to have worked so hard, right? Better to focus on the positives here. "So, I should be expecting a date like none other?" She guessed, and he flashed her a grin.

"I mean, unless you've had a date at a power station in the middle of the night before?"

"Pretty sure you don't have any competition with that one."

They continued along the fence-line, until they came upon a gate. There had previously been a set of thick chains keeping it closed, but they had already been cut apart—most likely—by a pair of bolt cutters. The remnants lay in a pile on the ground.

"Right this way, m'lady." Wrench gestured through after swinging it open, and she stepped past him onto the grounds of the station. The gate swung shut behind her when Wrench stepped through, and he lead them further into the area.

The buildings were dark, save for the security lights which never turned off for safety purposes. They bypassed the front door and walked around to the back-most area of the building, to a ladder leading up to the roof. Riley only quirked a brow, but began scaling up the ladder without hesitation. What had Wrench planned?

The metal was chilled, the sun having began to set and the heat leeching from the bars. As she scaled, she wondered briefly if Wrench had her go first so he could get a nice look at her ass as she climbed. Deadpanning with a small smile, she shook her head and finished climbing the rest of the way.

With a hop, she landed on the roof of the power station, surveying the top with interest. In the middle of the roof was a large antenna towers, but right beside it was a large blanket laid out on the stone. The edges were held down with small bricks, and on top of each one was a cell phone, all displaying candles flickering on the screens, held upright by tiny phone stands.

A plastic white bag full of…something—Riley couldn't tell what was inside—sat in the middle of the blanket, and right beside that was Wrench's laptop sitting closed.

"This is really nice, Wrench." She said after a second, turning to smile at him.

He gave a shrug and a lopsided half smile in response. "Wait til you see what I've got planned." He said to deflect the attention, obviously slightly embarrassed by her blatant compliment.

They both sat on the blanket and he dug around in the bag for something, producing some very familiar-looking takeout boxes. "Half white rice, half chow mien, Sesame chicken with a chicken egg roll, and a Dr. Pepper." Wrench recited proudly, handing her one of the bigger boxes and a fountain drink.

Riley's eyes lit up, taking the box with reverence. "You remembered!" She proclaimed with joy, opening the box to inhale the delicious scent of her favorite Chinese restaurant's food. Mmm…heaven on earth.

"Remember? Pff, how can I forget when you order the same thing like twice a week?" He grinned, pulling his own food out of the bag and crossing his legs to sit.

"Hey, why would I risk ordering something I don't like when I know for sure I like this?" She defended, feeling as though her precious Chinese food was being criticized. She broke the pair of chopsticks that were included and began to dig in. Through a mouthful of food, "And you're one to talk, Mr. 'Coke-and-Poptarts-For-Breakfast-Every-Morning.'"

Wrench stared at her thoughtfully, before jabbing his fork in her direction. "Touche."

They ate together for awhile, laughing and talking about random things. Mostly on Wrench's part. Not that Riley minded. She doubted she'd otherwise ever have a serious conversation about the purpose of a rubber duck, or why The Dark Knight movie ruined the Batman name.

"What!? How can you say that?" Riley was taken aback— _appalled,_ even—at Wrench's words. Surely, that was blasphemy! Still chewing her chow mien, she gestured wildly with her chopsticks. "The Dark Knight was an amazing movie!"

Wrench shrugged. "But look at what it caused. A lack-luster sequel, and a whole slew of needlessly depressing and 'edgy' superhero movies trying to fit themselves in the grit-fest of a universe it created."

"Oh, come on. Superhero movies weren't taken seriously until The Dark Knight. Nolan ensured that the general public saw it as a legitimate form of entertainment." Riley calmly explained. As a self-proclaimed movie critic, she was adamant that she could not lose this debate. "It was the stepping stone for superhero movies to really get out into the market. It boosted the whole genre into the public eye. Avengers? Justice League? All made after The Dark Knight, and that's not a fucking coincidence."

"Ok, Avengers was…meh." Wrench said, flipping his hand back and forth in that uncertain way. "But fuck that. Justice League was a mess." He said dismissively with a toss of his hand. "I mean, it was ok…if you're into that sort of thing, but it was completely against what the previous iteration was building up to."

Riley tilted her head, not understanding what he meant. "How so?"

The hacker positioned himself more comfortable on the blanket. "So…Batman v. Superman, right? Snyder took the line between good guy and bad guy, and completely obliterated it. Awesome concept, in theory. Except, they set up this idea that heroism is basically a sham. The world is an awful shitshow, yada, yada. And then we're supposed to believe that all these gritty super'heros' band together selflessly to do the right thing? Makes no fucking sense."

Riley thought about it a moment, and Wrench continued to try convincing her. "I'm not saying The Dark Knight itself was bad, but it unintentionally caused the downfall of the rest of the Batman name. It's gonna be a bitch clawing it out from it's gritty shit hole universe in the future. So much for reboots." He ended with a sigh and a small shake of his blonde head.

"Don't be such a downer about Batman." Riley grinned, shaking her own head. He had a point, but she had hope for the future. "He's too big of a brand to just stop. They'll bring him back somehow."

"But will it suck? I think it will."

"Ugh, you're impossible." She said, and he gave a blue-eyed wink which sent her giggling.

They finished off the rest of their meal before Wrench tossed the trash back into the bag and reached for his laptop. "Alright, shall we get this party started?"

Perhaps she should have been more concerned about the way he diabolically rubbed his hands together, eyes align with excitement, but his enthusiasm and anticipation was infectious. The brunette nodded hastily, scooting closer to him when he patted the spot beside him.

"What is this?" She asked, seeing nothing but lines of code on his screen. They were all directing towards breaking a website's security. That much she could tell. But Wrench was a much better hacker than her, and some of his coding she had yet to understand.

"Just…one…second…" He stretched out, fingers tapping away at the keyboard as he finished up the hack. He hit enter and the screen switched to one of a profile for a…dating website? "Tada!" He proclaimed, gesturing to it with a flourish.

"Uh…" She narrowed her eyes, reading some of the text. Her initial assumption of a dating website had been incorrect. In fact, she now wished it _had_ been a dating service, since it would have been better than the alternative. "Is this a hookup site for prostitutes?"

"They prefer the term 'escort.'" He said with finger quotes, and Riley gave him a look. Smiling, he continued navigating the page. "Not just any hookup site. This, my dear, is the website of choice for several very high profile businessmen and public officials of San Francisco. Whose profiles I just so happen to know the passwords to."

Riley opened her mouth to ask a question, but he added quickly. "Not only that, but I've managed to worm my way into the phone lines, so we have front row seats to the glorious freak-outs as they happen." He finished with a smug expression.

The gears in the brunette's head turned as what he was telling her began to click into place. Now this…this was a quality date. The goldmine of information in here…she could probably ruin half of these peoples' careers with a few mouse clicks. A slow smile spread on her lips.

"Wrench." She looked at him, who listened expectantly. "You're a goddamn genius."

He gave a little half bow, then passed the laptop over to her. "I've got a bunch already open and ready to go. But we can find more if you want to." He said, and she looked through the profiles he'd already pulled up.

"How did you even find all of this?" She asked, eyes scanning the words and contents. Eww. She did not need to know that the Assistant Operations Manager for Blume had a BDSM fetish. Ugh…

"Oh, just a little hacker magic." He said, wiggling his fingers.

She raised a brow and gave him a side-eye. "Uh huh."

"…and like a week combing through the satellite data mine." He admitted. She only laughed, searching through the profile of the AO Manager. His profile picture included a very provocative pose and a speedo that was way too small for his body. Another shudder ran down her body.

She navigated over to his messages tab, seeing several old chat bubbles from girls on the website. Wrench chuckled beside her, reading some of the…cringe-worthy flirting between the Blume employee and the prosti—…escort.

_What are you wearing?_

**Nothing at all, baby. Just how you like it.**

_What are you doing right now?_

**Wishing you were here. ;)**

_God, if I could get out of this damn meeting right now, I'd go right over and lick you all over._

Riley turned to Wrench and stuck out her tongue in cringe, a twisted expression of disgust on her face. "Ugh, this is nasty stuff." She said, but her innate curiosity lead her to keep reading anyway.

"If it's so nasty, why are you still reading the messages?" Wrench echoed her own thoughts.

"Shut up."

Ignoring his laugh, knowing he'd cornered her, she kept scrolling through the messages, trying to find the most incriminating evidence she could against him.

_Tell me you're mine._

**I'm all yours, tiger. Yours, and yours alone.**

_Meet me tonight at 6? The wife is out with her friends and they'll all probably pass out drunk at their place. The house is empty, and you've still got the spare key right?_

The next message was actually a picture, showing a very attractive young woman with a key strung around her neck by a string. Except the string dangled low down between her breasts, which were completely exposed and took up most of the picture. Below the picture was her reply.

**Of course I do. Wouldn't lose it for the world. I'll bring the handcuffs this time. ;)**

Riley glanced over, seeing Wrench watching, before she smacked him in the arm for staring too long. He had the grace to look chastened. "Do you have the wife's phone number?"

"You bet!" Wrench leaned over and took control, navigating over to a folder he'd put together with a list of people's names and phone numbers. She found the one she was looking for and put together a nice little surprise, including the NSFW picture and a few pieces of evidence from the profile itself to prove his identity, with the simple description of: _'Your husband is cheating on you. Thought you'd want to know.'_

"There, now all we do is wait." She said as she hit enter, sending the incriminating evidence her way.

"In the meantime, take a look at this guy. I thought you'd get a kick out of him." Wrench said with childish mirth, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. He logged out of the Blume employee's profile and input another set of log in information. This time, a very familiar person popped up.

"Oh my god…Dan?" She asked of no one in particular, already reading through his bio.

"Figured you might want a little more payback after leaving ProviBlue." Wrench concluded with a smile, handing the laptop over to her.

"This is perfect." Riley smiled predatorily, clicking through to read what embarrassing things she could off of it. "I always knew he was an ass, but this takes the cake."

Half of the shit he put on this page matched what she knew of him from work, but the rest was a new glimpse into his character she was glad never to have encountered before now. His bio started out innocently enough—27, works for ProviBue, has a husky dog—but it quickly descended into something completely…well, she didn't know how to describe it.

_Looking for an Adonis? Well, your search stops here, beautiful. There's no price high enough for my pleasure, so expect to be lavished in money. You'll never find a more perfect example of the male anatomy than yours truly, so send me a message and we can get straight to the point._

"God, kill me now." Riley complained, feeling dirty just reading that.

Wrench pointed to the messages tab. "And the best part? Even these ladies won't work with him."

Riley followed where he indicated, seeing way more tabs open of previous message chains than the previous guy. Dan had talked to numerous escorts, but as she clicked through message after message, she laughed below her breath. They all went along the same lines.

**Let's say I'm Aphrodite, and I really need my Adonis. ;) I want to get to know you, big guy.**

_Let me just get a few things straight, then. I only do hardcore. I'm not into that mushy shit or anything cuddly. We're here to fuck, and that's all I want to do. In fact, I don't even really want to know your name. So, how much do you charge?_

**I think you might be on the wrong website then, honey. We're here to form lasting connections with our clients, on a first name basis.**

_What, hookers aren't all the same? It's all sex in the end. What does it matter?_

**Look, you want a quick fuck? Go drive down O'Farrell and pick up a street whore. I'm an escort, not a hooker. And I'd work on that disrespectful attitude if I were you. Have a nice day.**

_Good thing this website has a report button, so I can get bitches like you kicked out. Fucking high-horse little hoe._

"Dodged a bullet there." Riley muttered, seeing the reality of Dan's personality. She looked over at Wrench with a small shake of her head. "I nearly agreed to the first time he asked me on a date, like when I first moved here, but a coworker told me what he was like. Glad I listened. Who knows what I would have gotten into with him."

"Hmm, my guess is Fifty Shades of Gray, but with screamo metal in the background instead of smooth jazz, and a pack of miniature size glow-in-the-dark condoms." Wrench mused thoughtfully, and Riley pushed him in the shoulder.

"I really could have done without the mental image, thanks."

Before he could respond, a notification window popped up on his laptop. They looked over and saw the pinging message of 'Incoming Call.'

"Ooh, let the show begin." Wrench said, nearly buzzing with anticipation as he reached over and clicked 'Open.'

They both sat back as a male voice came over the call.

_"_ _Honey, please, just listen to me and I can explain what-"_

**"** **Explain!? What is there to explain!? You're on a prostitute website! You've got whores sending you their tits! You are married! TO ME!"** A woman's voice screamed over the call, overtaking anything he may have said at the same time.

" _That's not me! I promise you, Susan, that's not me!"_

**"** **Not you, my ass! It's got your damn picture right there, your email address, your cell phone number, and oh look! OUR FUCKING ADDRESS!"**

_"_ _Susan-"_

**"** **YOU GAVE HER OUR HOUSE KEY!"**

"Where did you even find this?"

**"** **What does it matter!? You're a fucking son of a bitch. 8 years I've wasted with a cheating bastard! How many whores have you brought home!?"**

" _You're overreacting, please just-"_

" **Shut the fuck up and listen! When you get home, all of your fucking stuff is going to be out in garbage cans on the front lawn, and I'm calling a divorce lawyer! I will leave you penniless! Or did you forget that I'm a fucking tax attorney? I will run your company into the FUCKING PAVEMENT! And you know what else!? I've always faked it, you TINY-DICKED MOTHERFUCKER!"**

All the while Riley and Wrench were cracking up on the roof of the station. The program only allowed listening into the call, so there was no threat of being heard by either of the callers. The wife continued screaming at the man until he hung up and cut off the phone call, and even for some time afterwards, the two hackers were having a fit of laughter.

They thought to check both of their social media pages, and discovered that the wife had posted all of the pictures that Riley had sent her to her page, tagging her husband in it, proclaiming him to be a cheater, and a bastard of the highest degree, which only sent the pair into more laughter. Friends and family of the couple started commenting on the wife's post, saying that she was totally justified in slandering his name, and that they'd never liked him anyway. Some of them even started posting hate on the husband's page too, though his was predictably silent in comparison to Susan's.

"That was fucking beautiful." Wrench managed between his spastic chuckles.

"Let's do another one." Riley said, getting herself together with some difficulty.

* * *

 

Wrench had certainly come prepared, having a line up of 10 or 15 people with incriminating profiles on the website. They sent off the messages and pictures to spouses, waiting with anticipation as the aftermath hit. The explosive and expletive-filled phone calls that came after were well worth the wait, and multiple of them ended in divorce claims. One, however, didn't quite go as planned.

_"_ _You got what?"_

**"** **I got this picture saying you were cheating on me with some prostitute? Is that true?"** The wife was surprisingly calm.

_"_ _No-…No way, honey. I would never do that to you."_

**"** **Really? But you've always known I wanted a threesome one day. I got my hopes up for a little bit there…"**

Riley and Wrench exchanged looks, as the husband spluttered in confusion.

_"_ _You're…not mad about this?"_

**"** **Why would I be? That lady in the picture is pretty sexy. I'd want to sleep with her too. Is there any way you could ask if she'd be up for including another person?"**

_"_ _I…uh…"_ The husband cleared his throat uncomfortably. _" I mean…Carmen is fairly adventurous…I can…find out."_

**"** **Thank you, baby. You sure know how to pick them good, too."**

The phone call ended, and Wrench and Riley were left staring at the screen with bewilderment.

"Uh…that was…" She started.

"Unexpected?" Wrench guessed, and she nodded. There was an awkward silence between them, until he clapped his hands together and grabbed the device. "Well! Onto the next one!"

"Mhmm. Yes please." Riley said.

They exhausted their list of cheaters, with the brunette leaving Dan's for last. She couldn't quite figure out how she wanted to ruin his life. Jeez, now that she thought about it, was she being a little too harsh on him? Was being annoyingly persistent for a date really worth all this public slander? Well, with the way he seemed to treat women in his personal life…

Hmm, and Riley had never claimed to be a saint…

So without much more hesitation, she forwarded the copy of her data incriminating Dan to his own mother. Luckily they didn't have to wait long for her phone call.

 **"** **Daniel. Allen. Felton. Jr. What the devil is wrong with you?"** An older woman questioned breathlessly.

_"_ _Mom? What are you talking about?"_

**"** **Never in my years would I think you'd be the sort of person to stoop so low as to…my lord, I can't even say it."**

_"_ _Ok, first of all I have no idea what you're talking about. Second-"_

**"** **The prostitutes, Daniel! I thought I raised you better than that! I raised you to be a respectable young man, not a…a swine looking for love on the streets!"**

_"_ _Woah, woah…ok, I can explain that! It was…how did you even…"_

**"** **I don't want to hear it. As soon as your father gets home, we're setting you up an appointment with a therapist, and then we're gonna have a long talk together. As a family."**

_"_ _Oh, god, don't bring dad into this…!"_

**"** **He has the right to know his son is sharing his bed with women of the night, Daniel."**

_"_ _I have the right to do what I want, Mom! I'm a goddamn adult!"_

**"** **And we have a right to keep our family name intact! Don't you dare bring shame on this family, not like this. Did you learn nothing from your Christian classes? In fact, I'll be bringing you to church with me this week. You're going to confession to rid yourself of these disgusting sins."**

_"_ _Mom!"_

**"** **I'm still your mother, Daniel. And so long as you're under our health insurance I don't think you have much of a choice. I'd better see you in your best dress Sunday morning, and your father will have a word with you when he finds out."**

The line went dead, but neither Wrench nor Riley could tell who'd hung up. Nor did they care. She was just having the time of her life.

Wrench had been right. Definitely a date she would never forget.

* * *

 

Eventually, they started packing up the stuff and Wrench followed behind her as she drove home. She'd told him he didn't have to, but he refused to be swayed, saying he wasn't about to let her get attacked again on his watch. It was a sweet gesture, so she let him do it, if only for his sake.

They both parked in the apartment parking lot. Riley noticed when he stepped out of the car that he had his mask back on his face. He must have put it back on while on their way here. There were cameras lining the apartment buildings for security, so this didn't surprise her too much. Two large X's blinked back at her, before changing to a wink as he held out his arm chivalrously. Smiling back, she took it, and they both walked to her door.

"So…" He drawled once they reached her door, eyes two wide circles. "A pretty kick-ass date, right?"

Riley chuckled, trying to fish out her keys from her purse, knowing he was probably worried she hadn't had fun."Well, yeah. What's a date without a ruining the lives of San Francisco's resident assholes?"

"A shitty one, that's what." He agreed, mask displaying his good mood. Riley was able to get the lock unlocked, and she stepped inside. Wrench stayed outside though, so she looked back and gestured to follow.

"What, you're gonna lurk on my porch all night? Get in here." She smiled, taking the bite out of the words, and he perked up again.

The brunette tossed all of her stuff on the kitchen table, shrugging off her jacket and placing in on the backside of one of the chairs. Wrench closed the door and lingered there a second, before deciding to take his mask back off. Riley smiled, though he couldn't see with her back to him, as she realized he trusted her so much. Just a nice reminder.

Pants made himself known, meowing loudly as he ran down the hallway, seeing who had come home. He ran straight for Riley, and she reached down to scratch behind his ears a few times. "Hi, big guy. Did you miss me?"

His loud purring was his answer. She straightened and walked around to the kitchen to grab them both a drink. Surely, Wrench wouldn't turn down a beer. When she looked back, the hacker was locking eyes with Pants, but he eventually reached down and pat him on the head a few times, albeit very woodenly and without much feeling. To the cat, though, it didn't matter. His tail curled around and he leaned into the touch, happy he was getting attention.

"See? He likes you." Riley said from the kitchen, watching the exchange with interest.

"Yeah, well…I don't like him." He concluded, and the brunette rolled her eyes.

"He'll grow on you eventually, I'm sure."

Wrench looked doubtfully at her, but she dropped the conversation where it was. Unbeknownst to her, he was thinking along the same lines. Pants wasn't…that bad. At least, as bad as other cats he'd encountered in the past. But it wasn't like he'd ever admit that.

Returning with the beers, she handed one to Wrench and kicked off her shoes. "Alright, I'm down for a movie if you are, but I get to pick this time." She said, taking charge of things now. "And it's not gonna be Predator."

At first Wrench had perked up, but then his face changed to a pout at the bad news. No Predator? Damn. "As long as it's not a chic-flic, then I won't be forced to leave."

"Good." She reached for his hand and dragged him towards the couch. "Because we're settling in for the Dark Knight Trilogy so I can show you why I'm right." She proclaimed with a wide smile, ignoring his fake groan of annoyance.

* * *

 

Room darkened, and Pants sleeping cozily in his cat bed in the corner of the room, it was late into the night. A few empty cans of beer were scattered about her coffee table. They were halfway through the second Batman movie of the trilogy, when Riley shifted her position to be a little more comfortable. With Wrench sitting on the end most cushion of the couch, she'd grabbed a pillow and stuffed it into his lap, immediately laying down on him as she watched the movie.

He didn't seem to mind, and would unconsciously stroke her arm with his thumb despite his full attention being on the movie. Wrench definitely was a movie nerd, but that was perfect, because so was she. The fact that she had a movie buddy now was thrilling, and there were some upcoming ones she wanted to see in the theaters with him soon.

Riley shifted her head enough so she could look up at him without him noticing. His face was illuminated by the screen's backgrounds, changing brightness with each scene change. His eyes were rapt on the screen, unaware that she was scrutinizing him from his lap.

His mess of blonde hair, visible now that he'd taken off his jacket and spiked vest, was messy and unkempt, but still looked so much like his personality that she didn't care. Seeing him in a regular t-shirt was something else, too. But he looked good.

Her eyes naturally fell until they reached the anarchist symbol tattooed onto his neck. How much had that one hurt to get? She shuddered just thinking about it. The slight movement garnered his attention, and he looked away from the movie to regard her.

"Hey." He said, noticing she was already looking at him. "Something on your mind?"

Without answering, she reached up and traced the red ink, following the circle on the outside and then the large 'A' within it. She watched, and felt, him swallow, but didn't stop her from what she was doing. Rather, he simply watched her silently.

"Why'd you get this?" She eventually asked.

He shrugged. "Felt right, you know? People know exactly who I am and what I stand for, without me having to say anything."

She nodded, accepting the answer. There were several moments of silence again, with her just watching his chest rise and fall. Wrench felt there was something else she wanted to ask, but waited to hear it.

They'd comfortably watched without much talk for awhile, content to just enjoy each other's company, but a few things started forming in her mind. Questions she didn't know the answer to. Things she was insanely curious about, but wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask. Wrench was a private person, after all.

"What made you join DedSec?" Was her quiet question, spoken softly so as not to offend.

Oh. The amused curiosity he'd sported up until then shifted into something a bit more personal and…vulnerable. Like she'd poked him in just the spot to make him recoil a bit back into himself. His gaze slid away from hers, and she immediately retracted it all.

"You don't have to answer, Wrench, it's ok. I was just curious and-"

"It's alright, you deserve to know." He said, steeling himself and almost forcing himself to look back down at her. "I know all about you, but I'm full of secrets, right?"

That wasn't exactly how she'd have put it, but she slowly nodded nonetheless. He bit his lip, looking thoughtful, before ultimately shrugging. "DedSec was…everything I wanted to be. Against the grain, edgy, and it provided just enough danger to sate my unending need for it…I could destroy things and blow stuff up, but the end result was helping people somehow." He gave a little smirk at that, and Riley chuckled.

"Like…chaotic good?"

Wrench seemed to think about it. "Something like that. Hell, they didn't care who you were or what you looked like. If you believed in the message, you were part of the team. It was a place to go without feeling like the outsider. Maybe a bit of an escape too."

That last part sounded a bit more resentful than the rest, and she cocked her head to the side a little. "From what?"

"Who I was. And…family."

After several seconds he said nothing more than that, chewing on his lip again in either thought or trepidation. Riley couldn't tell. It was obvious how uncomfortable this conversation was making him feel. "The main thing you should know is that I hate my family. Actually, loathe might be a better word…" He trailed off bitterly, shaking his head.

"Why do you hate them?" She ventured to question.

"They're all just a bunch of fake, stuck up fuckers. Can't fucking stand any of them…" He stopped himself from saying much more, before evening his tone and continuing again. "Dad's a businessman. Wouldn't doubt he's corrupt. Mom does something with software, I don't know. Don't really care all that much to know more than that about them."

"That…doesn't really explain why you hate them." Riley probed gently, trying to coax the truth out without sounding demanding. She was just curious to know what made Wrench who he was.

He sighed and rubbed at his face. "I had a shitty childhood, ok?" The words sounded harsh, and he seemed to realize this as soon as the brunette looked away apologetically. "Look, I'm not mad at you, I just hate talking about this stuff, so don't take anything I say right now personally."

She nodded, and he continued.

"I have an older brother. Garrett." He added after a moment, almost with distaste. "He was the golden child, put on a pedestal, that sort of thing. Always went on vacations and parties and get togethers with my parents. But nobody wanted a kid with a fucked up face hanging around investors and possible business partners. Would make the family 'look bad.' So guess who got left behind for all the public events and family functions?"

"You."

"Yeah. Me." He confirmed bitterly. "Kids are stupid and don't realize what's going on most of the time, but if you're treated completely different than your sibling every day of your life, you figure shit out pretty quick.

"I started acting out to try to get attention, but that just got me confined to my room. Felt like they were trying to hide me away, scrub me from the records and just pretend I didn't fucking exist. Wouldn't surprise me if they had wanted to give me away or something." He finished, glaring at the tv screen as the movie continued to play, almost entirely forgotten at this point. "I hated it. And it didn't get any better when I got older. They just started giving me useless shit to do in the meantime while they were all away. Like a fucking Cinderella or something."

"What happened, in the end?"

"I ran away." Was the simple answer, coupled with an uncaring shrug. Like it didn't matter much. "Left home in the middle of the night with my dad's wallet and a bag of clothes. Never went back."

Riley let the silence go, not quite sure what to say, but wanting to say a million different things. She wanted to say she was sorry but, if Wrench was anything like her, it would have fallen flat. He wouldn't want to hear it anyway. The sentiment had lost its value.

So instead, she reached up and gently traced the anarchist symbol again. A silent reminder of how far he'd come. Where he was now. The friends he'd made along the way, and that this was who he was now, not what his family had made him. Or tried to make him. The empty stare he'd been giving the tv for awhile slowly died away, before he grabbed her wrist and stopped her tracing. Initially, she thought it was an unwelcome gesture, but then he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed them tenderly, closing his eyes and evening his breath. He was trying to calm down from all the negative thoughts.

"Do you ever look them up? Keep tabs?" She asked, and he slowly released her hand.

"Hell no. I don't want anything to do with them." He said adamantly. "They didn't want me? Fine. I don't fucking want them either. Who needs family anyway?"

"Everyone needs family." Riley reasoned quietly, sitting up a little and scooting closer to him. "It's just that family doesn't always turn out to be the people you were born into, sometimes you find it for yourself later on. Like you said, DedSec is a little family all its own, right?"

There was an extended silence, and Riley smiled sadly, before leaning in to kiss the red mark just above his eye. It wasn't even that bad, but she could imagine a much younger Wrench surrounded by people who made sure he knew it was ugly and unsightly, constantly putting him down for it. What a horrible thought. She wished she could do something about the issue with his family, but something like that was beyond her power. Years of resentment and mistreatment weren't easy to let go. She would know. But maybe just having someone to bear it with you was some sort of respite.

"…yeah." He admitted after some time, gazing at her with clear eyes. Whatever emotion or meaning he drew from staring up at her, she would never be able to guess, but it must have been something good, because the side of his mouth quirked up in a tiny smile after a moment.

A line from the movie jumped out at Riley's hearing, and she whirled around to face the tv. "Oh, it's my favorite part." She said, turning back to smiled at him, and he chuckled. Part of her wondered if the interruption would come off as rude, especially after discussing a topic so solemn, but Wrench was Wrench of course.

" _Why so serious?"_  He quoted in time with the character on screen.


	36. Into The Fire

_He's ordering me around. I don't like it. -_-_

**Well, that's because he's in charge of the operation. Of course he's gonna tell you what to do.**

_I can figure out a location ping and hack some stupid hardware on my own. I don't need him. I'm not a goddamn plebe._

**I know that, but it's his mission. He asked for assistance and you offered.**

_See, that's the thing. I distinctly remember you telling him that 'Yeah, Wrench would just LOVE to help out with your fucking errand,' but neglected to tell me about it._

**Because otherwise you would have said no. :)**

_If you weren't so insanely smart and gorgeous, I just might not like you…buuut, then again I can't resist such a devil woman._

**Such a gentleman. ;) Just think of it as a…bonding activity? Get along. Work together. I don't know, gain each other's trust. You just might need it one day.**

_I'd rather be locked in a room, completely naked and covered in honey, with 10,000 angry bees than put my faith in Ray._

**A great mental image, thank you. And you're stuck with him anyway, so just get it over with already. You can complain when it's all done with. :)**

_Does complaining about not being able to complain count?_

**Yes.**

_Fuck, fine…_

Riley smiled down at the text messages from Wrench, wondering how things were going with the op. All she'd heard from him so far were complaints, but she was sure things were going well despite his bad attitude. Wrench got things done, that was certain. You just couldn't always guarantee he would enjoy himself along the way.

She'd suggested to Ray that Wrench help him out for several reasons. One, she was tired of hearing him complain about not having a fun mission to do for such a long time. Two, it would probably help them repair the relationship since the whole Wrench Jr. incident. And three, Riley wanted some alone time. It was great seeing Wrench all the time and all, but she hadn't had some time to herself in a long while. Some fresh scenery would do her some good.

The brunette rose from the couch in the hackerspace and grabbed her bag, intent on heading out to go…somewhere. She'd decide on the way. She stood there another moment, selecting some music to listen to on her way, when Josh approached with a laptop in hand.

"Riley?" He asked quietly, and she swung around to look at him.

"Yeah, what's up?" It wasn't often Josh sought her out specifically. This must be important.

Josh, in his usual habit, rocked back and forth on his feet, as if he always had somewhere else to be, and talking to you was just slowing him down. "If you're not busy, I need your help. We got an email from a supporter, asking us to look into something."

He opened the laptop a bit more and turned the screen around so she could see. The email was sent directly to Josh himself, which in of itself was unusual. Riley knew, only just recently in fact, that requests for help normally came through Snickerdoodle, a trusted DedSec agent, who would then forward any messages to one of the main DedSec members.

 _"_ _I know you're probably busy with way more important things and everything, keeping our privacy and personal information safe and all, but if you could spare some time, there's an issue with Stanford University that nobody seems to want to solve._

_I applied to be part of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority last week. Thought it might look good on an application or something. I don't know. Mom said it would be good for me. Either way, I applied and they accepted me in. But they have a really messed up hazing that…I don't really want to get into. It was awful. It shouldn't be allowed to continue._

_I tried bringing it up with student resources, and even the safety administrator's office, but because I didn't have proof or any evidence, it was just filed as a complaint. How messed up is that? Somebody needs to know about this, but I can't do anything from my position. In fact, I'm transferring schools, just so I don't have to run into any of them again. I'll be going to UCLA from now on._

_If there's any way you could look into their hazing practices, maybe it'll save other girls from experiencing the same thing I did. Please do something."_

"Isn't hazing a banned practice?" She asked, and Josh nodded.

"It is. But it doesn't stop it from happening. Most houses have just learned to keep it secret now." He closed the laptop again, turning to her wit that usual serious expression. "This isn't something that directly benefits DedSec. It's not even related to ctOS. But I don't like the idea of universities turning a blind eye to abuse and bullying. It isn't right. I want to do something about it."

Though she'd previously felt like she needed some alone time, now her interest was piqued. Plus, it wasn't often Josh approached her with a request. Or even at all. They were friends, but mostly acquaintances when it all came down to it. Riley hoped to change that. Spending a bit of time helping him on this mission might just accomplish that.

Riley smiled, setting her bag back onto the couch. "Well, let's do something about it then, shall we?"

* * *

 

Stanford University was a buzz of activity. Students were scattered about the lawns with laptops and books scattered around them, or biking down the walkways, on their way for their next class. A few had pets on leashes, and some even were allowed to freely roam, though they mostly stuck close to their owners.

It was still recruiting week for the Greek houses, as several stands and booths were lined up along the pathway all around the commons, enticing to students to join a fraternity or a sorority. She saw the house in question on the corner of the commons area, with several girls holding flyers and information for joining. Riley passed them by, thinking it would mean less people at the house to catch her snooping.

Complete with fake glasses and a book bag slung over her shoulder to make her look more like a student, Riley walked her way through the main common grounds. Many of the main halls surrounded the square commons area, but that wasn't why she was there.

"Where is Greek Row from here?" She asked, walking towards the huge tower in the middle of the campus.

 _"_ _Fraternity and Sorority houses should be on the eastern side of campus. Turn left at the tower and keep going. Sigma Delta Tau should be second from the last house on the right."_

"Thank you." She said kindly, doing as she was told.

There was several minutes of silence, as Josh wasn't really that big of a talker unless he needed to say something. Everything he did was necessary and logical. Sure, he had his moments of unexpected humor and social integration, but they weren't often, and Riley had hoped this op would bring them a little closer together. It seemed she'd have to do most of the instigated to get him to talk.

"So, I know you don't like bullying and it's obviously completely unjust that the university isn't taking this seriously but," she started, having been wondering herself about this, "you seem a lot more invested in this op than I would assume you to be. This is a little more personal to you, isn't it?"

There was a long silence. Maybe her questions wasn't appropriate, but she wanted to know more about Josh. Maybe this would glean some information. Plus, she'd picked up a sort of familiarity vibe from the girl who sent the email. It sounded as if she knew him personally.

 _"_ _Yes, actually. The email came from my cousin, Megan."_ He eventually said.

"…oh." She didn't know what to say about that. "Well, knowing that, is she ok after everything that's happened?"

 _"_ _She's alright. I think she's more angry than anything. Megan normally wouldn't do something like that, but her mom pushed the issue."_

Riley stepped out of the way of a bicyclist who nearly ran her over. She shot the guy a glare as he passed, though knowing he wouldn't see it. "Well, that's not her fault. She couldn't have known."

 _"_ _Obviously. She's just venting. Stress can make you irrational."_

By that time, she'd reached the tower and swung a left towards Greek Row. She could see several houses further down the way. "How close are you and Megan?"

 _"_ _She's the only one of my cousins that live nearby. Our families spend every holiday together. We're very close."_ There was a pause, before he continued. _"Please don't mention this to anyone else. I don't like bringing my family into anything to do with DedSec. They don't need to be involved."_

"My lips are sealed." She promised. It wasn't easy keeping secrets from a hacker group, and most likely the rest of the members knew about everyone else's family anyway. When you dug through information systems like they did, things could unintentionally be discovered, after all. But it wasn't hard to imagine that he'd want to keep most aspects of his personal life private.

He had a right to it after all. And it honestly wasn't anyone else's business. Josh had probably only asked for her help because he couldn't exactly go snooping through a sorority without being caught acting suspicious, and she just happened to be in the hackerspace at the right time. And Josh wasn't one of the more hands-on members of DedSec. He was a genius when it came to straight coding, but he normally wasn't the best fit for field work. But Riley didn't mind it.

 _"_ _Thanks."_ He said, tone always remaining the same. Sometimes it was hard to tell if he were being serious, or if he was happy or didn't care at all. Oh well. She'd learn his vocal cues eventually.

Before long, she came across the Sigma Delta Tau house, seeing the greek letters displayed on the front, so there wasn't any confusion. At first glance, she'd thought it said 'eat,' which made her smirk with amusement. Man, she'd have loved to be in the EAT sorority in her community college. They must have the best barbecues.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the ridiculous distraction, she looked around for anyone that might be watching. The trick to blending in seamlessly was to make it look like you were supposed to be wherever you were going. The more confident you looked, the less likely someone was going to say something.

Stance and stride never changing, she veered directly towards the right side of the house. "Any idea where the panel is?" She asked hopefully, knowing it would save her the trouble of having to use her drone. She'd prefer not to be caught using it to spy on a sorority that wasn't hers. It might put a kink in their plans.

 _"_ _I'm not sure. I don't have access to the architectural or electrical plans."_ He explained evenly. Well, it was a long shot but worth the try.

She snuck behind a tall tree, scanning the side of the wall for any sign of the signature ctOS electrical panel that she'd grown so used to hacking into. There wasn't any sign from this side, but a quick detour to the other end of the house revealed it's location. Just in front of the the backyard's gate, and behind another tree.

It gave her a bit of cover to work with, thankfully. Listening around for any shouts of 'You shouldn't be here!', she popped open panel's cover and pulled out her phone. With a few button taps and some lines of code transferred between devices, access to the house was all hers.

"Alright, I've got access to the cameras." She said, standing from the panel and walking back towards the main commons walkway. Now that she had gotten the hacking part over with, she could blend in seamlessly and just appear to be studying something on her device. No need to be next to the house to check the feeds now.

 _"_ _Megan said the hazing was a week ago. Try pulling the records from that date."_

She popped down under a tree across from the house. This way she could watch the people going in and out as well. Might be useful to start familiarizing herself with faces, to match names to later.

Laptop open, she clicked through the security cameras to try finding anything suspicious. Nothing overtly wrong, though one girl was hiding away down a corridor with a bond, but that wasn't really what she was looking for. Focusing her attention to the stored security feeds, she followed the time stamp to the same day Megan had claimed she'd been hazed on.

Riley copied the feeds and sent them off to Josh to look over. "You should have them now."

 _"_ _Got it."_ Even through her earpiece she could hear the faint tapping of computer keys as he got to work. Riley started fast forwarding to try pinpointing specific points during the day when things weren't quite normal.

"What does Megan look like?" She asked, thinking it would be more beneficial is she knew which one was her in the cameras.

 _"_ _Long, straight brown hair. Fairly tall. She isn't that great in crowds."_

As soon as he described her, Riley spotted the girl in question on the cameras. Megan didn't seem to talk to many of the other girls all that much. She had been a new recruit after all, but it just seemed strange. She was almost…shunned, would be a good word. And Josh's cousin wasn't the only one. Several other girls in the sorority seemed to also get the cold shoulder rom the more interact and talkative girls in the feeds. Maybe there was a wide gap between those who were established members and the new recruits. Perhaps the results of the hazing determined if you were respected by the others. Riley wasn't sure though.

They searched through days and days of camera footage just in case, but neither of them found anything. All just normal come and go of the female students, and the occasional boy brought inside in secret. "Whatever this hazing ritual is, I don't think they hold it at the campus house." She concluded.

 _"_ _Looks like it. I can ask Megan to tell us more information."_

Riley paused. "I don't think we should. She almost sounded traumatized because of what happened. We don't need to have her relive everything again. She's probably trying to forget it all anyway."

 _"_ _But we don't know where the hazing takes place."_ Josh said evenly, not exactly mad, but wanting to find the answers..,

Riley's gaze drifted back over to the commons area, just visible at the end of the lane. Lots of people still milled about. Hmm… "Maybe there's another way to get that info…" She trailed off, closing the laptop and putting it back into her bag. She stood from the tree and started walking towards the main commons again.

 _"_ _What? How?"_ Josh asked curiously, but she didn't answer, hoping that this idea would in fact work.

The brunette approached the Sigma Delta Tau recruitment stand, and was greeted by a boisterous blonde girl with extremely curly hair. "Hi there! Are you looking to have an amazing academic year? You should join Sigma Delta Tau! We've got a whole bunch of activities we do every year, lots of fundraising, discount tickets to sports games," the blonde girl was piling paper after paper into Riley's hands, one after another as each key feature about the house was listed off, "study sessions and group tutors, scholarship opportunities, member's only parties and events, and a great place to meet lasting friendships!"

Her ears were nearly ringing by the time she was overladen with the thick packet of information she'd been given. If she'd been asked to recite any of that garble, Riley wouldn't have bet her life on her ability to do so. "Oh…yeah, I was interested in applying." She said simply.

 _"_ _Riley, what are you doing?"_ She heard Josh ask in a slight panic in her ear. But she ignored it.

"Awesome!" The blonde girl turned around to the other girl manning the stand with her and snatched one of the application papers from her pile. "Alright, you just need to fill out this information, and attach a copy of your class schedule that lists your current GPA."

"Ok, how long are you guys out here recruiting for?" She asked, wondering where she'd turn the stuff into. The last thing she wanted to do was turn it in late and miss the opportunity.

 _"_ _I don't think you-"_ He started, but the rest was overtaken by the blonde girl speaking.

"We'll be recruiting for another couple days. You'll have to file the application before that time, or the recruitment offices won't accept any more applicants." She explained kindly. She pointed back down the Greek Row, at one of the first buildings. "Recruitment offices are right there if you have any questions. You can turn in the application to us, or give it to them and they'll distribute them out to the right houses."

"Ok, thank you!" Riley replied cheerily, walking away casually and stuffing the application into her bag. She'd have to get all the information the sorority house needed to confirm her place as a student on campus, but she had every bit of confidence that Josh could forge those documents.

 _"_ _This is a bad idea."_ Josh stated nervously in her ear, but she only shook her head.

"I can join and get the evidence myself. I'll set up cameras or something, some microphones. We'll record the whole thing." She reasoned, but Josh didn't seem convinced.

 _"_ _Look what happened to Megan. Please don't risk it. We'll find another way."_

She blew a strand of hair out of her face and adjusted the stupid glasses. She wasn't used to wearing things on the bridge of her nose. They were bothering her. "Well, any other ideas? Because I don't see another way. They only let potential members know the location, right?"

Josh groaned. _"I really don't like this…"_

"I know, but I volunteered. Even came up with the idea myself, so you don't have any of the blame if things go wrong." She shrugged, not seeing the big deal. What's the most that could happen? Megan survived, and Riley had gone through a long session of legitimate, thorough torture. Surely nothing could be worse than that.

 _"…_ _alright."_

She nodded, glad they'd come up with a plan of action. "I'll need you to get me enough documentation to pass me off as an actual student here, though."

 _"_ _If you get me access to the school records, it shouldn't be too hard."_

"Done and done."

* * *

 

A few hours later, Riley returned with the application filled out, her new student documents Josh had forged stapled to the back. She gave them back to the blonde girl, who beamed happily.

"Yay! I'm so excited to get to know you!" She said with joy, and Riley tried returning the same enthusiasm. She left after that, knowing it would take up to a week to hear back from them about the application. These things took time, after all.

"Now we just sit back and wait." Riley said.

 _"_ _I just hope you know what you're doing."_ Josh didn't sound as confident as she did in regards to the plan, but at least he was sticking to it. It was nice to be trusted enough to come up with a valid plan with the group. Marcus had always been the unspoken, unofficial leader of DedSec. He had that unmistakable ability to get people to trust him. They all naturally gravitated towards him, and believed wholeheartedly in his plans. Riley tried emulating some of his own confidence with this mission. She legitimately believed this was the best course of action. She just needed Josh to believe she could carry it out.

* * *

 

After about a week, Riley got a call from the recruitment offices, saying her application to Sigma Delta Tau had been accepted. She nearly sighed with relief. All of this would have been for nothing if they'd denied her request, but Josh had made her grades and student profile appealing enough that any sorority would probably want to recruit her.

She expressed her excitement to the woman who'd informed her, and asked for all the information in terms of the rest of the acceptance process. The woman notified her of the Rush date to get a tour of the house, and Riley thanked her, already trying to figure out how to hide a camera on her person to capture evidence.

* * *

 

Turned out that the glasses were the best bet. Josh helped her attach a camera to the inside of the frame, leaving a small hole for it to be able to record out of, but nothing big enough to notice. On Rush day, Riley participated in all the cringe-worthy activities and getting-to-know-you parts of the orientation. There were several different sections of the day. One was to get to know your fellow members. Another to familiarize herself with the house itself. And another for learning the rules and dress codes.

Riley would have loved to make fun of the dumbest of the rules with Wrench, but she'd sworn herself to keeping this mission between her and Josh. _Wear pink on Sundays?_ No thank you. _In an effort to stay healthy, no sugary foods or drinks on Mondays, and workout sessions for one hour?_ Hell. To the. No. Thank god she wasn't actually hoping to be a part of this sorority. Why would anyone agree to these terrible rules? No one was taking sugar away from Riley on the day she'd always needed it most.

The list went on, seeming to get worse the further down you went. The members went over the forms, emphasizing how important it was to follow rules.

It was a slog getting through all this shit, but it was necessary. Riley needed to keep up the appearance of a potential future member of the sorority so they would give her the time and date of the hazing. And the location. That was the most important thing. She wasn't even sure how long into the recruitment process they initiated the hazing. Megan hadn't mentioned.

Luckily, it apparently wasn't very long, because by the end of the day, the potential members that had expressed a genuine interest in the house were given a slip of paper inviting them to an outdoor retreat to, as the flyer described it, 'gain a deep and spiritual understanding of your fellow sisters and the values of the Sigma Delta Tau house.' Riley wasn't sure whatever the hell that meant, but it had a date, time, and location on it, which is all she'd really come for.

This next Friday, 10:00 pm. At the edge of the northern woods, across from the 8th street bus station.

"You got all that?" She asked Josh after reading it aloud, walking back to her car after the long day or orientation. She desperately wanted to get out of these shoes and put on some comfier clothing.

 _"_ _Yeah. We should stake out the area and set up some cameras."_ He said logically, and Riley nodded agreement.

"Definitely, but I'll still need to attend and-"

 _"_ _There's no need to actually go through with this if we set up surveillance."_ Josh interrupted, sounded slightly agitated. _"You're putting yourself at risk."_

"I know that, but think of it this way. We know the meet-up spot of the hazing, great. However, that doesn't mean that's where it actually all takes place. They might meet up there to all travel to the actual location together. I doubt they'd hold a hazing ritual right next to a main road." She explained.

"If I don't go in there with a camera to make sure we get the video, there's no guarantee those cameras we set up will catch anything. And if we miss this opportunity? We have to wait another 6 months before being able to try again."

There was a long silence on the other end, and she knew Josh was realizing she was right. He just didn't like the idea of her actually going through with something that had given his cousin acute trauma. He didn't want his friend having to go through that too. Danger wasn't something he was comfortable with.

"I'll be ok, Josh." Riley pressed convincingly. She legitimately believed it too. She'd seen way worse shit in her life than anything these college students could throw at her, surely. Riley had overcome nearly dying. "Just trust me on this. I'll get that evidence, and Megan won't have suffered for nothing."

 _"…"_ Besides a heavy sigh, Josh didn't respond for several seconds. _"Why do all of you take these stupid risks?"_

She smiled, amused. "Well, if we didn't, DedSec wouldn't be where we are today, right? And my stupid decisions highlight the best parts of my personality."

* * *

 

"Welcome, ladies!" The blonde girl from the recruitment stand addressed the group of female students that had applied to enter the sorority. Maybe 9 or 10 in total. They were all gathered a bit further back from the bus stop on the street, a two big vans parked on the grass. "I'm so excited to see you all here tonight. You've all made it past all the boring orientation stuff and all the rues and whatnot, but you have yet to experience something truly fun from your new house of sisters."

Riley stood between several other girls, all watching and listening her talk about what was going on. The brunette glanced around at all of the senior members, getting them all on video. Camera glasses still in place on her nose, Riley panned over all of the participants, as well as the hosts. Best to get a count of everything going on if she could help it. It was dark so making out specific features or faces was a little difficult, but Josh could probably enhance it with lighting and make it legible. The blonde girl kept going on about how the activity was supposed to bring them all closer together.

"Our goal is to strengthen the bond we have with our fellow members. We may go in as strangers and acquaintances, but we come out as sisters and friends. That connection is what we strive to emphasize with you tonight on this retreat. By morning I promise you. You'll feel like a new person."

 _"_ _Honeyed words and nice promises. They're good salesman, at the very least."_ Josh said quietly in her ear. She agreed, but could respond without acting suspiciously. Still, it was comforting to know he'd have her back throughout this experience. For all the confidence in the world, if things did go wrong, having backup never hurt.

Riley noticed that a few of the other senior members were starting to get closer to the group of girls, and as if on cue, the blonde girl held up her own cell phone. "In order to do this, we ask that you turn over all electronics and devices, to prevent distraction and keep the focus on face to face communication."

 _"_ _No…no, no, this isn't good."_ Josh said in a rush as soon as he heard that bit.

A couple girls grumbled, but the members began collecting phones without too much protest. Riley narrowed her eyes, feeling uncomfortable with the requirement. Parting with her phone? Well, there went her attempt at recording audio for the duration of the hazing. Of course, there was always her earpiece. She saw a couple members doing physical pat-downs of some of the participants, and she realized they'd find her tiny earpiece unless she hid it.

Shit, where was she supposed to put it? Pulling it discreetly from her ear, she immediately put it in her mouth and relaxed the muscles in her face, making it seem as though there was nothing out of place. Hopefully it wouldn't ruin the device, but there was no other alternative at the moment.

She could feel minute vibrations from the earpiece, meaning Josh was saying something, but she couldn't hear.

Another girl came up and extended her hand. Riley reluctantly put her phone into her hand, didn't resist the short pat-down that followed, and tracked the device with her eyes until she disappeared somewhere behind her. Man, this sucked. If things got bad, all she would have was her earpiece now. Calling for help wouldn't be an option. She'd have to rely on the camera for most of the evidence now.

"You'll have your phones returned at the end of the retreat. They'll be kept in one of the vans we have with us." The blonde girl gestured to the vehicles parked there, and finally clapped her hands together. "Alright, now lets all head off to the retreat area!"

The girls began piling into the vans one by one, piling together tightly in the back of the vans. Riley was nestled in and pressed up against another girl. The black-haired girl looked up at her and smiled shyly. She returned the gesture and was pressed in closer when another girl sat on the brunette's other side.

"Are you ladies ready?" The blonde girl called back from the driver's seat once everyone had been piled in. Most of them let out an excited cry, but Riley was one of the ones who stayed quiet, along with the black haired girl beside her. Then the door was shut, and plunged them into darkness. Riley took the moment to pluck the earpiece from her mouth and stick it back into her ear.

 _"_ _This is how they ensure no evidence gets back. They rid victims of all means of documentation and communication."_ Josh was speaking quickly, mind going a mile a minute. _"But with the amount of people that participate, there must be more than one person that comes forward with a claim. They can't all possibly end up as complaints in a metal filing cabinet somewhere."_

They bumped along in the back of the van together, in pitch darkness, for quite some time. There were no windows in the back part, so Riley had a hard time judging direction. It was slow-going simply because of the terrain; the woods didn't have any pre-paved or well-kept roads anywhere, meaning they were left to drive on the grass and dirt and trees that littered the ground. More than once the back occupants were jostled around harshly, no doubt having hit a hidden rock or tree branch laying in the vehicle's path.

The whole while, Josh formulated his theory, jabbering away in Riley's ear. _"Unless, some sort of blackmail is involved. Victims who are too scared of consequences don't come forward. Perhaps the actual number of people that snitch is much less than I anticipate."_ She could already hear the keys tapping away.

Some of the girls started talking amongst themselves, quietly discussing how excited they were to be part of something for their college experience. Or finding lifelong friends. Riley wasn't so sure, trying to peer around and get evidence with her glasses, but it was too dark for any sort of real footage. Hopefully Josh would be able to clean it up a bit more at the hackerspace.

 _"_ _I just got the results fr-…the database. I w—…righ-. There—…on-…two com—…"_ The rest of his sentence faded away into snippets of sounds and vowels, until even those were completely gone. Just silence on her end. An eerie silence of being alone.


	37. Friendships Born of Danger

The van continued bumping along in the dark, shifting this way and that as they turned and then righted themselves again. Riley's leg bounced up and down with nervous tension, realizing that wherever they were going, it was out of range of the earpieces that the DedSec members had. How far into the forest were they going? Surely they couldn't be going that fast? How long had they been driving? Seemed like she was on her own for the rest of this. That didn't quite sit well with her, but she'd been adamant that she'd be fine.

It suddenly occurred to her then that Wrench had asked her to stay over for a movie earlier in the week, before she got the call from the sorority offices informing her of the acceptance. Dammit, that was supposed to be tonight. She'd have to explain why she'd missed their date, and what she'd been doing. But Josh didn't want her saying anything about the mission. If this van kept going any further, she'd never make it back in time. When had he wanted her over? Midnight? And now she didn't have any way of reaching him. Would he worry, not being able to get ahold of her? Fuck.

Her thoughts were cut short when the van lurched to a halt. The brakes squeaked something unpleasant, and she winced. The blonde girl threw the vehicle into park and got out the driver's door. They heard footsteps outside, until the back two doors of the van swung open, casting a bright light filtered in from behind her.

"Alright, ladies. Up and at'em!" The blonde girl said. Huh. Come to think of it, she'd never given her name, despite wanting to 'bring everyone closer together.' Suspicious.

Everyone started getting out of the van. When it came her turn, the brunette hopped down onto the grass, seeing a big campfire surrounded by wooden chairs, a small wooden shack in the background. Was this a sanctioned site for the sorority? A place they owned? Riley panned around the location, trying to discern where in the forest she was.

"Everyone pick a chair and get comfy, because we're going to start with some bonding exercises!"

Riley held back the groan. More of these bonding exercises, really? How close was she supposed to be to these people? Riley picked a seat at random and sat, watching as the others took their own leisurely, talking quietly amongst themselves. The black-haired girl picked the one right beside her. Hmm…

With the campfire illuminating the area a bit better, she panned her vision around, recording with the glasses to get a feel for the location. It was open, clean, and nondescript. Besides the shack and the ring of chairs there was no other defining features to pick it out from the rest of the forest. Just great. Where in the hell were they?

All of the girls took their seats, and the blonde girl sat in her own at the 'head' of the group. There really wasn't a 'head' spot in a circle, but she somehow managed it. She clapped her hands once and rubbed them together. "Ok, let's get started. We're going to go around the group and introduce ourselves first. Tell us a snippet or two about you! I'll go first to start us off. My name is Natalie, and I'm an undergrad in Forensics. I'll be graduating next year."

Forensics, huh? Not a strange degree choice outright, but for the circumstances, Riley immediately had a warning bell going off. That must play a part somehow…she had a feeling.

Then the girl sitting beside her went next. Then the next. Riley was glad Josh had picked a random, false name for her student documentation, because she wouldn't feel comfortable using her real one in an undercover situation like this. Smart thinking on his part.

Spacing out most of the time, Riley watched as each girl introduced themselves and spouted a random fact about them. Most were regarding the program they were studying for, but some included a personal feat or sport that they played. Boring, small-talk stuff. Blegh. Riley hated it.

The black-haired girl beside her was up next, and the brunette's curiosity about her was piqued enough to at least give it a genuine listen.

She waved awkwardly to the group. "Uh, hi. I'm Bailey. I moved here from Washington to attend this school…and…I like to paint in my free time?" She shrugged, not quite sure what else to say about herself. She and the rest of the group turned to Riley, who was up next.

"I'm Sarah, I have three dogs and a cat at home. And I love walking along the beach." She said quickly, wanting to get all this unwelcome attention off her. She hated lying in front of large groups of people. Surely someone could tell you weren't telling the whole truth?

Luckily, no one said anything, and attention was turned to the next gal.

Once everyone had said their bit, Natalie stood from her chair and addressed the group again. "Alright, as you all know, our goal here is to bring about strong and lasting connections to our fellow sisters. But we all still are holding a bit of ourselves back. It's natural," she explained with a charming smile, "we all do it in the presence of strangers. We all feel like we'll be judged for how we look or speak or just are. But we at Sigma Delta Tau want to break those first impressions and get to know the people on the inside."

So saying, the girl reached down and took off her shirt in the company of all of the females. Her red bra underneath covered everything important, but Riley looked away awkwardly. Oh fuck. She was going to have to strip, wasn't she?

"What I want everyone to do it shed off your pre-conceived notions, shed off the barriers holding you back from connecting with those sitting around you," Natalie reached down and started unbuttoning her pants now, "shed off the fears and the worries, and give everyone a chance here to get to know the real you."

At first no one really moved, just squirmed uncomfortably in their seats, but eventually the females began undressing themselves. Riley felt totally awkward, stripping down to her bare essentials with all these strangers around, but in order to get the evidence, she'd have to experience this hazing first-hand. Fuck.

She just so happened to catch Bailey's eye, and they shared a grimace. Guess Riley wasn't the only one with doubts. Despite the hesitation, they both slowly took off their garments and placed them on the ground in front of their chairs. Thankfully the fire pit was keeping her warm against the chilly wind that blew, and they got to keep their shoes at the very least.

"See? Doesn't that feel just a bit freeing?" Natalie asked, still smiling that cheery smile Riley was beginning to hate more and more. "We can really begin from here, now that we no longer have those hypothetical walls built up around us. Let go and be yourself."

She lead them in a few thought-provoking discussions, mostly tailored around current events and controversial issues. Natalie encouraged free-sharing of anyone's opinion, healthy debate, and zero-judgement. Easier said than done, but they all tried their best. Riley continued to just look around, getting all the video evidence she could. Hopefully Josh hadn't given up in raising her earpiece. Maybe he could extend the reach of the network somehow? It was a long shot, but she had to keep her hopes up.

So far, besides stripping nearly naked of course, the group hadn't done anything worthy of suspicion. Everything seemed in line with a 'get-to-know-you' retreat. Nothing outwardly illegal or harmful. She still didn't trust anyone here, she couldn't afford to.

Who was actually the ring leader? Was it Natalie? She'd certainly been in charge of all of the group activities and the whole trip in general, but was she the one with the idea, or just the one to carry it out? Hopefully the perpetrator was here with them tonight, because Riley would want to get their face on tape.

And then things changed. Not obviously if you weren't looking for it, but because Riley was so on edge, she could tell the subtle shift in mood from the senior members. Hidden, little devious smiles. Secret whispering. And Natalie kept glancing back at the others, as if reminding them to wait for a cue or something. Hopefully, even at the distance she was from Natalie, it would all come out on the tapes from her glasses.

One of the philosophical discussions trailed off, no one really sure of what else to say, when Natalie suddenly stood up. "Awesome, we've explored our minds a bit more, gotten to know our thoughts and feelings, what makes us who we are. I hope you've all learned something new about the ladies around you."

There was a murmur of agreement, and it seemed that the others were beginning to open up. Smiling shyly, and relaxed more into their seats. "Now we focus on another aspect of our personalities." She exclaimed, though not specifying what aspect that actually was.

"Since Halloween isn't too far away," she continued, "I thought we could do something fun. With a scary twist." That damned smile. Ugh.

Natalie pointed back at the shack a bit of a ways from the fire pit. "See that little house right there? Lots of people say it's haunted."

"Haunted?" One of the girls asked reluctantly. "Ghosts aren't real."

"So you may say, but how do you know for sure?" Natalie asked, and the girl didn't seem to have an answer for that one. She turned to the rest of the girls. "I'm a firm believer that the ghost of the woman who was murdered there still remains to this day."

Riley kept her glasses' focus on the group of senior members, watching their expressions for any sign of what will happen next.

"What happened?"

Natalie turned to the random girl in question who'd asked. "They say many years ago, back when California was in it's gold rush days, there was a gold miner and his wife who lived there. He'd go out everyday and look for gold while she stayed home and kept up the house.

"She'd get lonely everyday while he was out of the house. But there was always a letter delivery man who'd come by the house with news from her family. They started an affair, meeting at the house when the miner left to find gold."

Natalie smiled and peered around at everyone. "One day the miner came home early, and caught his wife being unfaithful. He took his pickaxe and murdered her right inside that shack, but the letter man got away, ran off and was never seen from again. Legend has it that he buried her under the outhouse, but it was destroyed a long time ago, so know one knows where it was exactly."

There was an eerie silence as the wind blew through the trees around them. Some of the girls looked behind their backs out of slight fear, but Riley kept her gaze on Natalie, wondering what she was getting at.

"So, we have a challenge for you!" She stood, gesturing to the shack. "We're going to lock ourselves in the shack for one hour and see if the ghost is real or not. A test of our bravery!"

The girls in attendance didn't like the sound of that, but not many of them were apparently brave enough to say anything in opposition to Natalie's plan. Sheeple indeed, Riley thought to herself, borrowing one of Wrench's favorite words. It certainly applied here.

She smiled again. "There's plenty of room for all of us in there, so feel free to spread out."

They started to stand and cautiously walk over to the shack. One of the senior members held open the door kindly, ushering them all inside. Riley noticed the senior members didn't move to go with them, just stood outside the little building while the new girls went inside. Alarm bells were going off in her head.

She kept calm, however, even as she passed through the doorway of the decrepit, old, wooden shack. It was probably full of spiders and other creepy crawlies, which made her skin itch, but she bore it for the sake of getting the evidence she needed. It was only for an hour right?

Once all of the new recruit were inside, Natalie stood at the doorway holding up a thick lock. "Ok, here's how it goes. You'll be locked in here for one hour." Another senior member handed her a large timer alarm clock and she held that up too. "This is set to go off right at midnight. Once it rings, you can come out. After that, we'll have another surprise game for your to play, but we won't tell you the rules until you complete this challenge!"

Natalie placed the timer on one of the old dressers, then addressed the others with yet another smile. "Try to get to know your fellow sisters a bit more. Adrenaline can really help you bond with others. Don't disappoint us, and you'll be that much closer to becoming a Sigma Delta Tau sister!"

So saying, Natalie turned around and shut the door. The light from the bonfire that had filtered from behind her was instantly cut off, and they heard the thick lock click into place on the other side of the door. It was old and worn too, but she was sure the lock was sound.

They still could see vestiges of light from the windows on the side, but even those died out when the senior members put out the bonfire just outside the door. Riley wandered over to the door and placed her ear against it, trying to listen for any talking she could. But it was too muffled and far away to make out any individual words.

Some of the girls in the shack began muttering to themselves, crossing their arms across their chests to try keeping warm. Being halfway naked didn't help the cold, and just made things a little awkward on the inside.

Several minutes passed by, the sound of people walking around and moving things, before the van doors shut. Riley narrowed her eyes, hearing the sound of their engines start up. They were leaving them here. Alone. This was looking worse and worse.

The van circled the shack once, then drove off somewhere in front of them, but Riley couldn't be sure if that was the direction of the city. Being unable to see out the van when they'd arrived had shot her sense of direction. And the darkness made any tracking nearly impossible, especially without flashlights.

The sound of the vans slowly died away, until only the wind against the shack remained. The board creaked eerily, and one of the girl gasped in fright at a particularly loud and sudden pop from one of the chairs.

The shack was dark, but you could tell vaguely shaped black objects around the room. A dresser-shaped thing on the wall closest to her, and what appeared to be a bed over in the corner. As time went by her night vision improved, and she was able to make out details.

The interior furniture was certainly not up-to-date modern, but it was impossible for it to be as old as Natalie had claimed this shack to be. Most likely, it was a hunter's cabin during the big game hunting months, or during the winter. It was definitely dusty, but not from a build-up of years and years. It had probably been cleaned several months ago. Riley was also beginning to doubt the validity of the legend entirely. She didn't believe in ghosts anyway.

It was difficult to tell how much time had passed since the group left them. Maybe 10 minutes? Maybe 30? They'd taken any and all watches too, so it was impossible to tell. Talking would have passed the time, but there wasn't much desire for discussion in the shack. Before Bailey shifted in place and cleared her throat.

"Maybe we should leave early?" She proposed, putting it out in the air for others to consider. Several seconds of silence, before another girl spoke.

"But that might be considered cheating. They'll kick you out for it."

"We're gonna freeze in here from hypothermia if we don't do something." She reasoned.

"I agree." Riley supported her. "Is it really safe to continue with this?"

Surely someone would agree with that line of thinking, but now others were joining in to take the other side.

"I've applied for this house three semesters in a row, and this is the first time they've considered my application. It's supposed to be the best house for boosting up a resume or college application. And I'm not giving up a spot in medical school for cold hands and feet." One girl adamantly argued. "We're staying the full hour. All of us."

Riley could see that Bailey was outnumbered, despite personally agreeing with her. At this rate, in the cold and without clothes, they wouldn't last long. Late September chill could catch up with you quickly.

The black-haired girl shook her head with a sigh, but didn't say anything. So they waited some more.

* * *

 

When the alarm finally went off, all of the girls gasped or jumped in place, not expecting such a loud and sudden sound cutting through the darkness. Bailey was closest and shut it off quickly. They all held hands at their chests or stood slowly from their spots around the shack. A few stared at the door, still not moving to open it.

"Do we…wait for them to open it?" One asked no one in particular. Nobody had an answer, so nobody responded.

Riley was closest to the door and tried the knob, unsurprised that the lock held securely. The door had a bit of give, but that was just because it was so old and didn't fit in the doorframe properly anymore.

"They didn't say we had to wait for them to let us out. They just said we could come out." She told them, yanking back and forth to try loosening it. "But they neglected to unlock it, so I don't know."

"How are we supposed to get out?" One girl started to panic. "I haven't eaten for hours, 'cause I thought there was gonna be food here."

"Me too."

"Has anyone seen a key? Maybe they left it in here."

A tense search for a key in the darkness commenced, but Riley continued trying to jimmy the door. She doubted they'd be so kind as to give them the means to escape the whole time. Not even a note with more instructions.

"Maybe they're running late?"

"Maybe we're actually supposed to spend the night here?"

"God, I couldn't do that! I'm starving, and there's nowhere to sleep here."

The sound level began to raise as people started to panic. Some girls tried grabbing at the windows, but they were stuck shut. Riley was getting frustrated, hearing all this frantic panicking behind her, while struggling to fix the door. Fucking Christ, could they all just shut up?

"Hey! Enough!"

Riley turned her attention to Bailey, who stood there looking around at everyone. No one had anticipated such loud yelling in the small space. She looked stern, but not angry. "We can't start panicking now. It isn't helping. So let's all just calm down and think about ideas on how to get out."

Well, Riley had one. She let go of the doorknob and backed up a few steps. Thankfully she'd worn her good tennis shoes here, so there was plenty of protection for her feet as she planted her shoe squarely into the wood. Letting out a strained grunt, the door stuck, but rattled dangerously close to giving way.

"That's way one, I guess." Someone said behind her. She backed up and tried again, this time a small piece of the wood flying off in some direction behind her. Thankfully the door itself was so old it didn't matter how good of a lock held it closed. It would break far earlier than they could get the lock open.

Riley stepped back and grabbed the nearest edge of the dresser for leverage. With the last kick to the door, it swung open on its hinges, a large piece of the door flying outwards towards the clearing. Riley stumbled forward from a lack of resistance.

"Yes!" One of the girls said, and they all began to file outside.

They all looked around, but there was nothing. No evidence of the Sigma Delta Tau girls who'd brought them here. No evidence of where their electronic items and clothing had gone. And no sign of what direction the city was.

"They just left us here?"

"This must be a test."

"I don't like this."

"The woods are pretty scary at night. It's so dark…"

"Shit, it's cold."

The others began to walk around the clearing, obviously looking for their clothes or something else, but Riley glanced around the shack, wondering if there was any clues there. They said there's be a surprise game after they got out. So…

She spotted a paper pinned beside the door, fluttering with the wind. She grabbed it and squinted her eyes. It was difficult to read in the dark, but the moon did provide some light to the darkness. Thankfully they weren't in the New Moon phase, otherwise it would have been impossible without a flashlight.

"What's it say?"

Riley looked up and saw Bailey, holding her arms across her chest protectively, but she nodded at the paper. The brunette tried reading it again.

"It's hard to make out, but…"

"What's that?" One of the other girls asked out loud, attracting the attention of the rest, and they gathered around the two girls by the shack.

"I'm pretty sure it's the instructions for the surprise game." Riley said, still peering down at it to decipher the words. "I'll try to read it…it says…"

_"_ _Congrats on…making it outside the shack! But don't get…ahead…of yourself, the game…has just begun. Your task now is…to make it back to the…bus stop we came…from by 6 am. We've…provided…you one flashlight, below this…paper, but that is all."_

Bailey stooped to pick up the flashlight, giving it to Riley so she could read it much easier. No need to pause on the words she couldn't immediately recognize.

_"_ _Doesn't sound that hard, right? Well, here's the catch. You aren't alone in these woods. Several groups of 'hunters' are out there somewhere, wandering around in random spots. They know these woods like the back of their hands, so there's nowhere to hide. Get caught, and suffer the punishment. Not to mention, you'll be rejected from the house, and we won't reconsider any future applications. This is your one shot to prove to us you're strong and brave enough to be in our sorority. We don't take weaklings or cowards._

_"_ _What's more, if you're not at the bus stop by 6 am, that's an automatic fail of the game, and you will not be a recognized member of the house either. Plus, all of your phones are there, so if you want them back, you'll have to finish the game. There are several ways to fail, but only one way to win. Trust no one. Don't fuck it up."_

The other girls began to panic again, but this time it was at the possibility of them not getting their spot in the sorority. None of them seemed concerned for the task they had to accomplish, rather that they wouldn't be a recognized member after all was said and done. Were people that blinded by titles and positions to care about their safety? Bailey shook her head, perhaps feeling the same way.

Riley felt that now was a good time to take charge. She was technically everyone's best bet to get back, even if they weren't aware of it. She had hidden resources they didn't. Now, if she could only get back within range of the signal, then things would be a bit better.

"Alright, I think we should all stick together." She said, gaining everyone attention. She pointed off towards the direction she thought the city was. If the position of the shack was anything to go by, and how the van was parked when they had unloaded, it was probably that direction. "Going this way is probably our best bet-"

"Who put you in charge?" One girl asked critically.

Riley tripped up on her words, before recovering. "Uh…well, I mean nobody, but I really think we should go this way. That's where we-"

"The note said not to trust anyone. Maybe they planted a mole in the group to try leading us astray." Another chimed in, and with that one idea out in the open, suddenly no one in the group would believe her. Nods and 'yes'es of agreement were all she could see and hear. Incredible, the power of suggestive thinking. And bandwagoning too. What a great mix.

"Both of you don't seem to take this as seriously as the rest of us do. We're here to get into the sorority but you've both been trying to bend the rules." One of them said, stepping forward and snatching the flashlight from Riley's hand. "We're going the way we want to go, and you go the way you want to go. If we fail, fine. It'll be our own fault. But I'm not listening to someone who's been pessimistic about this group since she got here."

"We should probably split up, anyway. A big group is a much easier target to find, and there are those hunters looking for us."

The others agreed to that too. Fucking. Great. Riley really didn't know what to say to that, and opted not to say anything at all. She'd tried to help, but if they refused it, there wasn't much to be done.

The girls all went as their own small groups, off in the general direction that Riley was certain wasn't the right way. Several fought over the flashlight, while others just started walking in a direction, off into the darkness. This was madness. Riley knew it.

The brunette turned to Bailey, who was the only one to stay with her at the shack. They held gazes for a moment, before Riley stuck out her hand.

"I guess it's you and me."

"Guess so." She agreed, shaking her hand pleasantly.

She smiled. "Well, since we're gonna be dealing with this together, it's better if you know what's going on. My real name is Riley. I'm here looking into the hazing practices of this sorority."

"Oh, I'd heard about that happening, but just figured it was all rumors." Bailey admitted, and they started walking in the direction Riley had suggested. "Just goes to show what I know."

Riley shrugged. "At least with this, I'll have all the evidence I need to prove the hazing is real." She waved the instructions that were pinned to the shack and folded it a few times, tucking the paper into her bra for the time being. Best not to accidentally lose it.

"Smart. I knew it was a good idea to follow your lead." Bailey complimented, turning her attention to the direction they were headed. It was pitch blackness as far as they could see, with blurry, indistinct shapes of trees around them. "And I think you're right, about going this way. The wind around here always comes from the Northwest, so as long as we follow with the wind to our backs, we should reach the city without a problem."

"How do you know?" Riley questioned, peering at her face in the darkness.

"I'm a meteorology undergrad. It's kinda my thing."

* * *

 

"How long have you been in San Francisco?"

"A couple months. Moved here from Seattle to live with my sister." Bailey responded, teeth chattering slightly from the cold. Both girls were shivering in full, but at least their feet were somewhat warm and covered. It would have been hell to walk on all these rocks and twigs in the dark with nothing but their bare feet.

"Oh yeah? How are you liking it so far?" Riley asked.

Bailey gave an amused huff. "Well, ask me tomorrow morning and I might have a different answer."

"Right, sorry."

"No worries." They tromped on for a bit longer, sticking close together just in case. In the darkness you could lose your way so easily. "But so far, I'd say this place isn't half bad. I like the people, the places. A bit more…cultural than Seattle ever was."

"San Fran has an identity all it's own." Riley agreed with a nod.

There was another round of silence. They conversation tended to follow a pattern. A short question, one that required little more than a few sentences of answer, before another silence, and then another question a few minutes later. It saved energy by not constantly talking, but they still got to know one another over time. Riley was finding that despite the awful conditions, she was still bonding with Bailey as they tried finding their way home. Huh. Maybe Natalie hadn't been altogether wrong.

"What about you?" The black-haired girl questioned after another moment. "Are you from around here?"

"No. New York."

"That's pretty far."

"Yeah, but I was looking for as much change as possible back then." Riley said cryptically. She wasn't about to go talking about her parents. That was a touchy subject.

Bailey seemed to understand not disclosing everything, and didn't press. "So you've been around here awhile?"

"Mmm…about a year. Maybe a year and a half." She reasoned. She stepped over a fallen log, looking forward to what lay ahead of them, but there wasn't much break in the same scenery in these woods. And who knew how long they'd already been walking for?

"Well, I hope you found the change you were looking for." She said, and Riley smiled back. Memories of DedSec and Wrench and Pants flashed through her mind. A lot of good ones. Some bad. All worth the experience.

"I did, actually."

"That's good to hear." Bailey shared the gesture, and they continued walking.

* * *

 

"…I just couldn't understand why she wanted me to live with her, honestly. I hadn't seen my sister for like four years. And we were never all that close." Bailey continued, teeth full on chattering between words.

Riley was feeling the same cold, but they continued on as best they could. Still keeping with the wind to their backs, they were hopeful that before long they'd be back to the edge of the city, and they could put all this behind them.

"And when she recommend I look around at Sororities? Something was up." Bailey finished.

"Why weren't you close? Falling out?" Riley guessed, but Bailey shook her head.

"Nah. Age gap. I'm 6 years younger than her."

Riley shrugged. "Well, maybe she just wanted to get to know her little sister, you know?"

Bailey's breath came out in white puffs, barely visible in the darkness. "Yeah, maybe. It just seemed weird. Maybe my family is too disconnected. Not as…reliant on each other as other families."

"I feel you there." Riley said, knowing it to be true. She had an experience of her own with estranged family.

"Maybe I'm being too harsh on her." Bailey said, almost sounding regretful. "I've always been a bit pessimistic when it comes to those things."

"You don't seem that way." The brunette looked at her again. "You just come off as…to yourself. Private. Quiet."

"That's a nice way of calling me a hermit." The girl laughed, and Riley joined in.

"Oh, please. I don't get out much for myself either."

"Then maybe the two of us can hang out sometime, be hermits together."

Huh…Have a friend outside of DedSec? Wouldn't that be something. Riley hadn't had a friend like that in years. It seemed almost unimportant, but from her standpoint it certainly had appeal. Man, just how much different would Riley's life had been if she'd actually let people in to get to know her, and take the effort to get to know others?

"You know what? I'm down." Riley replied enthusiastically. Maybe it would give her a reason to check out the new shopping mall they were building over in Marin.

Bailey huffed out another laugh, shaking her head. "God, Natalie was all about 'connecting with others,'" she finger quoted, "and I was dismissing it all. I hate admitting that bitch was right about anything."

"Ok, you're mirroring my own thoughts now, so stop that. It's scary." Riley grinned, and they laughed again.

* * *

 

"Wait." The brunette held up a hand, having heard something close by.

Bailey stopped in place, though still shivering despite her best effort to remain still. It wasn't controllable now. They stood there in the darkness, listening over the sound of the trees and the wind. There! Voices.

"It could mean we're close by the city." Bailey whispered, but Riley shook her head.

"Maybe. But it could also be the hunters they mentioned."

"Better to play it safe, then." The black-haired girl agreed.

The only problem was, they couldn't tell which direction the noise was coming from. The darkness and the wind were really disorienting, and left them clueless as to which direction the danger may come from. So, they proceeded with much caution going forward, trying to keep the noise of their footsteps to a minimum.

"Look what I found!" A female called out close by, and the two girls whipped around frantically, trying to spot who had seen them. A pair of flashlights illuminated them in the darkness, ruining their night-vision and blinding them temporarily.

"Shit!" Bailey swore, and the both of them took off as fast as they could. But they were running blind, barely able to tell the dark shapes of trees to the rest of the forest.

"Don't bother running, we've already caught you two!" They called from behind, followed by laughter of several people. The thunderous sound of their running was frightening, especially as Riley realized they would never be able to outrun the pack of hunters. The girls were much too cold and exhausted mentally to be able to keep going like this. Their capture was inevitable.

But they tried for as long as they could, running the risk of twisting an ankle or hitting a tree at the speed they were going. Their mad dash through the forest was causing an uproar of noise, but all Riley could hear now was the pounding of her own heart in her ears, the blood muffling anything else, and the harsh in-and-out of her heavy breathing.

Bailey was lagging behind, only slightly, and Riley grabbed her wrist, urging her faster, pushing her in front of Riley so she wasn't the one closest to the pursuers. Maybe if Riley got caught Bailey could escape. But they hadn't realized how much distance the group had gained to them until it was too late.

Riley's ponytail was yanked backwards, throwing her off balance and completely off guard, sending her tumbling onto the rocks and underbrush of the forest. Her glasses slipped off her face, landing somewhere in the dirt. Riley panicked, knowing she needed those to bring back to the hackerspace for evidence. A heavy body sat itself on her back, pinning her to the ground before she could try looking for them.

Bailey's hesitation, seeing her companion caught, cost her the few more seconds of time she could have used to try getting away. A second hunter practically tackled her to the ground, but Riley's face was shoved into the dirt and she couldn't see what happened after.

The brunette grit her teeth and tried wiggling out of the female's grasp, but her arms were just twisted behind her and held tightly, a warning.

"Woo, you two put up a better fight than most of the others do." The strong female above the brunette huffed out, panting from running so hard. "I'm impressed." Funny, her tone was telling Riley the exact opposite.

There were several seconds of harsh panting, both from the hunters and the hunted, until they'd finally gained enough back to speak properly. "Alright, you guys know the drill. You're out of the bid for house membership, and you need to be punished."

"Punished how?" Riley dared to ask, and the girl above her laughed.

"Ever been paddled before?"

She gulped. Great. Not totally life threatening, as long as they didn't aim for the head, but still. This was going to hurt like a motherfucker.

The next instant, her eyes were wrapped and covered with a cloth, rendering her blind. Riley tried struggling again, but the girl sitting on her just dug her knee further into her back. "Fuck!" She gasped out.

"Stop squirming!" Another girl said, further away. Bailey grunted from pain. Shit. Was this was Josh's cousin had to endure? Had she been caught? No wonder she was traumatized. There was a possibility she'd wandered along through the forest, in the dark, being hunted by her fellow college students. Only to be beaten with a paddle while blindfolded. To anyone, that would seem hellish.

"Where should we start?" A girl asked, and another responded immediately.

"Let's get her feet. That'll stop her from running away so fast." There was a chorus of chuckles, and Bailey whimpered.

And then Riley had to endure the sound of her crying and the flat slaps of wood against her flesh. Being unable to see was almost worse, because her mind had to come up with the image for her. "Stop it! Let her go!" She cried out. If anyone was going to be hurt, Riley would take it. She'd had much worse. Bailey didn't deserve this.

"Relax, brat, you'll have your turn." The girl sitting on her said, all the while Bailey was screeching in the background. Riley winced behind the blindfold, unable to plug her ears from the noise because her arms were held behind her back.

Twigs and rocks and dirt duck into her skin at painful angles, the pressure and weight of the girl on top of her doing no favors. Riley was hyperventilating, wanting to do something about this, but unable to. Fucking…fuck. Fuck this! Fuck this fucking sorority house! She started up her struggling again, this time a bit more harshly and violently. She wasn't going down like this without a fight.

The girl holding her hadn't anticipated this, and the brunette managed to slip one arm out of her hold. "Hey!" The girl cried out. Riley used the limb to push herself off of her stomach, the momentum tossing the girl off of her back.

"Fuck, hold her down!" Someone said, and two more pairs of hands grabbed at her limbs. But Riley wasn't about to just give up. She flailed and snarled for them to let go, striking someone in the face with her foot once. Good. That felt good.

"For fuck's sake just hit her already!" Riley heard, just before a flat wooden object struck against her temple. It left her dazed, and a pain radiated out from there. A second blow followed, no gentler than the last.

Her attempts at struggling slowed, and they were able to get a better grip on her limbs. The hunters hit her head a few more times, leaving the brunette dazed, and nearly unconscious. A warm stream of what she assumed to be blood trickled down her cheek. Riley refused to pass out, though. Who knew what they'd do to Bailey while she was out?

Thankfully, she couldn't hear the other girl crying out in pain anymore. They'd stopped, instead opting to switch their sights onto Riley now. That was good, too. Bailey wouldn't get the brunt of the attack.

Her legs and stomach were the target of most of their blows, stinging and radiating so much pain. She couldn't help the cries of agony as the onslaught continued. Until finally they'd had their fun. Their laughter was loud, too loud, in her ears, but they eventually moved away from the two beaten girls, deciding to go off and hunt someone else who apparently 'deserved it.'

Riley and Bailey lay there for awhile, still blindfolded, waiting for the pain to stop.

* * *

 

 _"_ _Has anybody fucking heard from Riley?"_ Wrench asked breathlessly in the comm channel. _"She hasn't answered her phone in hours."_

Josh tensed, knowing he'd have to explain what was going on in order to appease the anarchist. They'd always had a friendly but somewhat tense relationship. He was sure this wouldn't go very well.

 _"_ _No, when's the last time you saw her?"_ Marcus asked over the comm.

_"_ _Last night. We planned to watch a movie at my place tonight but she hasn't called or anything."_

_"_ _Fuck, this can't be another Bratva situation…"_ Sitara worried.

Josh cleared his throat. He could already hear the string of expletives Wrench was sure to send his way. "She's…on a mission right now."

 _"_ _What fucking mission?"_ Was his accusatory question. Josh swallowed.

"I asked Riley to help me look into hazing at Stanford University. It was a request from a supporter. I thought we should have stuck with surveillance, but she insisted on going to get the evidence herself and I couldn't convince her to-"

_"_ _By herself!?"_

_"_ _Yo, man, calm down."_ Marcus tried to reason. _"We've gone over this. She can take care of herself. Quit freaking out."_

 _"_ _Then why hasn't she answered a single text? Even if she were on a mission, she would have responded to let me know she's ok. Where the hell is she?"_ Wrench wasn't calming down. In fact, Josh doubted he would be calm until Riley came back and was standing directly in front of him.

"I don't know exactly where she is." He had to admit. "The group gathered at the edge of the woods, before heading further in. They take all electronics before entering, and she's out of range for the comms."

The sound of something heavy or metal smashing against something else was earsplitting across the comms, and Josh winced. _"Fuck!"_ Wrench shouted.

 _"_ _Dammit, Wrench. Quit it! She'll be fine! It's just a bunch of college students, and she's survived much worse!"_ Sitara tried getting him under control, but the sound of destruction continued.

 _"_ _Have a little faith in your girl."_ Marcus advised. But Wrench disconnected before they could say anything else.

* * *

 

Riley was shaken back into reality by Bailey. It was still dark, but she could hear her sniffling somewhere close by in the darkness. It was too cold to just lay there all night. They'd freeze. The blood on her face had already crusted and dried. And judging by the damage to her head, she probably had a concussion. No sleeping for several hours. Great. Still, they had to keep moving.

Riley painfully pushed herself up to sit, finally reaching upwards to take off the blindfold wrapped around her eyes. God, all of her muscles were on fire. Tossing the fabric away, she searched around the area with her hands, trying to find the fake glasses with the hidden camera. They had to be close by. Hopefully those hunters hadn't stepped on them. Or taken them just to add insult to injury. Her heart sagged with relief when her fingers found the plastic edge of the frames, and she clutched them to her chest before putting them back on.

Having found her evidence again, Riley crawled over to Bailey, grabbing her shoulder gently.

"We have to keep going." She urged in a harsh whisper. it wasn't going to be a pleasant time, but they couldn't afford to be stuck out here any longer. Bailey looked up at her, tears barely visible in the darkness rolling down her cheeks, but she nodded.

"Can you walk?" Riley asked, seeing the way she was keeping the bottom of her feet off the ground at all costs.

"I…don't know." She replied. Tentatively, the black-haired girl tried putting weight on the balls of her feet, but she recoiled and gasped in immediate pain. The brunette sighed, knowing there was only one alternative.

"I'll have to carry you then." She reasoned, already moving to stand up. Thankfully her own feet had been spared any damage, so there was no pain from standing, but the muscles everywhere else were on fire. They'd really done a number on her. Nothing showed except bruises, but they hurt like a son of a bitch. It was going to be a painful walk the rest of the way.

"Are you sure?" The black-haired girl asked with a sob. "We don't know how much farther we have to go."

"I'm not leaving you here." She shook her head, bewildered Bailey would even suggest such a thing. "I'm not just gonna let you die of cold in this forest. It doesn't matter if it hurts. At least I'll have tried."

She eventually nodded. "Ok."

It was a painstaking effort to get Bailey up high enough on her back without her feet touching the ground. Riley's legs were on fire with bent knees, but it was the only way to stoop low enough to heft Bailey up enough so she could hoist herself up.

"Ugh!" Riley grunted out, finally straightening up with Bailey on her back. Now that her knees weren't bent all the way, it wasn't so bad, but she could tell after a while her back would hurt something terrible.

"Thank you for doing this." Bailey whispered, and Riley shook her head. It was beginning to go dizzy and light. Maybe her concussion was worse than she thought.

"Don't even mention it. Now, let's get going. Which way?" She asked, double checking with the meteorologist undergrad, since she probably knew best. The last thing they needed was for Riley to steer them in the wrong direction in her dazed state.

* * *

 

Hours, perhaps. That was Riley's best guess as to how long they'd been out in these damn woods. No way to tell, though. The sky was beginning to somewhat brighten, but even then, it was a far cry from actual sunlight. And there wouldn't be legit sunlight for several hours at least.

Her head hung low, Riley trooped on, Bailey hanging on tightly to her back. This concussion wasn't helping. A pounding head and the kind of exhaustion that leeching adrenaline and hours of activity could give you. She'd nearly fallen a few times, but Riley was quick and kept her balance, hoisting the girl up before her feet could touch the ground.

"You can take a break if you want." Bailey had told her before, but Riley shook her head slowly. Too fast and it would only hurt worse.

"I want out of this damn forest." And that was that.

They hadn't said much to each other since being attacked, but there wasn't much to say. The good mood from before was gone, replaced only by pain now. Their only goal was getting to the city before they collapsed from exhaustion.

 _"…_ _-ey…Ri-…"_ She heard in her ear, the first noise coming from the earpiece since she had arrived in this forest. Her head perked up. The first sign of life since being taken into this goddamn forest.

"Josh?" She tried asking, catching Bailey's attention.

"What?"

_"_ _Rile-…? Ca-…ear…me?"_

"Fuck, thank god…" She sighed in relief, nearly dropping the girl on her back again. "Josh, you're starting to come through. Are you there?"

There was several moments of silence, but Riley kept trekking on. She'd have to get closer to hear him clearly. They were right on the cusp of the bluetooth's range. Several hundred more feet and he was much less static-sounding than before.

 _"_ _Riley?"_ His voice came in loud and clear.

"Josh, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice." She said. Bailey tapped her on the shoulder.

"Who are you talking to?" Maybe she was concerned she was going crazy or hallucinating people. It caused her to laugh.

"He's my friend. I snuck in a bluetooth headset out here, and we're getting back into range now."

"Ok, now I'm super glad I stuck with you." Bailey said, and Riley nodded.

"Yeah. Josh, do you have any idea where we are?" First things first. How much farther did they have to go?

 _"_ _1.5 miles Northwest of where you originally met with the group."_ He said. Then, after a pause. _"Are you ok?"_

"Yeah, just…shaken up. And really cold." She summed up. It wasn't something she really wanted to discuss right now. "But I got all the evidence we need to bring down this damn house."

 _"_ _That's good, but-"_ Riley cut him off before he could ask what she knew he wanted to ask.

"I'm fine, Josh. Some bruises that'll take some time to heal but I'm otherwise ok. We'll still need a ride to the hospital though. Bailey's not in the best of shape."

_"_ _Bailey?"_

"Another student. She can't walk right now, so I'm carrying her." Riley explained.

 _"_ _I can meet you at the drop off point and drive you there."_ He offered.

"And if you wouldn't mind grabbing both of us some clothes? We're…kind of exposed right now."

_"_ _Sure."_

"You're a life saver." She said in a huff, running out of breath by talking so much. Another thought came to mind, and she winced. "Could you tell Wrench I'm ok? I'm sure he's worried."

_"_ _He's not very happy with me right now. Or you."_

"Yeah, well he can get pissy about it and beat my ass later, but I need a nap first. And you tell him it was all my idea and he's got no reason to get mad at you."

_"_ _I did. He didn't seem to care."_

"Well, he can fuck off right now. I'll deal with him later." She wasn't in the mood to worry about how Wrench was feeling. It wasn't his damn business anyway, and she handled it just fine. Wrench wasn't her fucking babysitter. She appreciated his worry about her wellbeing and everything, but sometimes he was a bit suffocating.

She meant that with love, of course.

If Bailey was confused at all, she wisely didn't bring anything up. It would be a long confusing story that she probably wouldn't want to hear anyway. Riley wasn't sure if she already suspected she was in DedSec, but better not to give her solid evidence of it. Best to leave her wondering.

* * *

 

It was an hour later, light beginning to brighten the sky up by the time Riley saw the edge of the tree line. She smiled in relief, and found some more energy to make it the rest of the way without stumbling.

Josh was parked along the side of the road, standing there holding a stack of clothes for them. Riley probably would have been embarrassed that she was half naked in front of one of her colleagues, but right now she could care less. Nothing was more beautiful than the sight of civilization and a warm set of clothes. Josh had even thought to bring blankets, which be produced from the back when they'd dressed themselves.

Bailey was helped into the backseat, wrapped in several blankets to keep her warm, while Riley took the passenger seat beside Josh, who drove them straight to the hospital. Both girls didn't say much, but Bailey did thank them both profusely, saying she'd return the favor one day when she was able.

They both helped her into the emergency room, ensuring she was fine. Riley tried leaving the with Josh, just he stopped her at the door.

"You have a concussion." He stated simply.

She shrugged. "It's alright. I'll just take some pain pills and sleep it off at home."

He wasn't backing down, though. "Riley, stay and see a doctor."

She sighed heavily and stared him down. "You're not gonna let this one go, are you?"

He silently shook his head, looking just as serious as he always did, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes. They both knew that if she really wanted to force her way past him and back to the car, there wasn't much he could do to stop her. But that would be rude, and he was genuinely concerned for her. The last thing she wanted to do was throw that concern back into his face.

"Alright, alright…" She muttered in defeat, taking a seat on one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs. Josh gave a small smile, glad she had given in, and went to talk to one of the admitting staff.

* * *

 

The pair hadn't talked about the mission while in Bailey's company, since they didn't want her knowing they were a part of DedSec, but started up once they returned to the car. Riley was sent home on the doctor's approval that she wouldn't suffer any adverse effects from her injury. Of course, that was after much convincing on her part, begging the doctors to let her go back home rather than stay and be monitored. The doctor hadn't advised it clinically, but was positive she wouldn't regress and understood her desire to leave a medical facility.

"It would have been wiser to stay overnight." Josh advised evenly as he drove her, but she shrugged.

"Yeah, well. I'd much rather crash on a comfy bed I'm familiar with than be strapped to a dozen tubes with a constant beeping in my ear."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Wrench is going to kill me when he sees you got hurt."

Riley only laughed. "Maybe he's just rubbing off on me a bit too much. And at least I got the evidence, right?" She gestured to the glasses sitting on the dash of the car. She was glad to not have to wear them any longer. They were annoying and wouldn't stay in place for a long period of time.

Then, remembering the paper in her bra, she pulled it out and unfolded it. It was still intact, thankfully. "Here. That's probably the best proof we could hope for. Plus whatever the video shows. It was so dark though, you'll have to do a lot of editing to make anything out."

"I'll bring them back to the hackerspace and put together a data package. The university shouldn't be able to just play this one off." He promised both her and himself. This house was doing too many illegal things for them to be able to get away with it. And especially after both his own cousin, and a close friend of his got hurt, he wasn't going to let this continue.

"Good. Now," she yawned noisily, "I'm gonna take a nap. Tell me when we get there."

Josh winced. It was never wise to sleep with a new concussion. "Are you sure you should be-"

"Shh, I'm too tired to argue with you but leave me be." She begged, eyes closed and bundled up in her blanket. He knew she was exhausted, and even though it was common knowledge to keep concussion patients awake as long as possible, he didn't have the heart to keep her from sleeping any longer. She'd had a long night.

But he didn't feel she should be alone. So Josh changed his course and started back towards the middle of the city.

* * *

 

Riley had been fast asleep in the passenger seat for about 20 minutes now. Which was good, because Wrench wasn't in the best of moods when Josh pulled up to the garage. In fact, he was already walking up to the car before the hacker could get out, anger displayed very blatantly on his mask. He knew this was coming, and didn't resist much when the masked hacker grabbed the front of his hoodie and pushed him into the side of the car.

"Tell me she didn't fucking get hurt." Wrench growled, angry slants glaring brightly. There wasn't much of a height difference between the two of them, but the way he carried himself made it seem like he was several inches taller. Josh had always been wary around him, knowing that they could sometimes clash. Plus he didn't like his aggressive behavior.

"I made sure the clinic checked her out." He replied evenly. "Some bruising and a mild concussion." Before he could even finish Wrench shook his head and swore under his breath, pushing Josh back into the car and wandering a few feet away. "The doctor said it should all clear up in a few days."

"God damn it…"

"She'll be alright." Josh pressed, but Wrench swung around to glare at him again.

"It doesn't matter, that's not the point. Riley shouldn't have to endure any more pain because of us. _That's_ the fucking point." He must have noticed Riley asleep in the car, because he made sure to keep his voice down.

"I agree." Josh admitted, eyes downcast to the ground. What, did Wrench think he specifically asked Riley to put herself in danger for his own agenda? How selfish did he think he was? "I tried telling her there were other alternatives, but she didn't listen. She wanted to get the evidence for herself, even if that meant putting herself at risk."

Josh looked back up at Wrench, who's arms were crossed in irritation and his mask flashing three dots on either side, as if trying to gauge if he were lying. But he wasn't. He wouldn't lie about this. "I didn't ask her to do that."

Wrench's head shook, X's now replacing the dots, and he kicked the nearest building in a small fit of anger. "I fucking know…" He muttered. "I'm starting to rub off on her too much…"

"She said the same thing." Josh added helpfully, finally seeing the anger begin to fade. Wrench's default emotion to stress was anger, and Josh didn't blame him. Everyone responded differently to stressful situations. Wrench's reaction was just more…destructive, than most.

Wrench finally moved to open the passenger door, and leaned in to pick her up by the legs and back. She stirred but didn't wake, and he easily lifted her up into his arms, blanket and all. Josh shut the door after her, watching him walk back towards the door to his garage. He stopped, looking back over his shoulder.

"Thanks for bringing her back."

And with that he went back inside. Josh sighed, getting back into the car and backing out of the alleyway. There wasn't much traffic at this hour, so he easily made his way back over to the hackerspace.

"That went…better than expected." He said out loud, feeling like he'd somehow gotten lucky by avoiding getting punched.


	38. Family Finds You, One Way or Another

The standing fan spun a steady stream of cool air onto Riley's body, who was seated on one of Wrench's work tables at the garage. Her tank top and shorts allowed a maximum amount of her skin to be exposed to the A/C, but it still didn't feel like it was enough. Dammit, why was it so goddamn hot?

San Fran was going through a strange heat wave in the middle of September. Not outright unheard of, but it hadn't happened for a long time. Instead of their usual 70 degrees midday, it was a ridiculous 95, leaving California's residents slowly melting in their own clothes, coupled with the high humidity due to a recent rainy day, it was just…ugh. The garage was spacious and airy, but the only problem was that it wasn't equipped with a powerful enough A/C unit to cool the entire space, so Wrench had to make do with a bunch of standing fans for the time being.

Wrench was in a similar state, for once forgoing his mask while the large garage doors were open. It was either that, or sweat buckets with it on. He didn't like having it off without the doors shut, but this time around he made an exception. His vest and hoodie were draped over a nearby chair, leaving him in nothing but a short sleeved black t-shirt.

"How can you even be doing anything in all this heat?" Riley asked miserably, watching as he tinkered with a few small parts for Marcus' motorcycle. It was in the finishing stages, and just needed a few decal touch-ups. Despite the heat, he didn't seem all that affected by it.

"Distraction." He answered simply, wiping away at his brow and shooting her a grin. "It's not so bad if you don't think about it."

"Ugh, New York was never this bad…" She groaned, laying back on the table to suffer a little more comfortably. "Isn't the hackerspace air conditioned?"

"Yeah, but Ray is there. And I'd rather not be around him right now." Wrench explained with a huff.

With a sigh, the brunette sat back up. "Oh, come on. You two are gonna have to figure something out. You can't have all this animosity between each other forever."

"I don't see him offering an olive branch."

"Because you don't let him. And who said he had to be the one to offer it? You could always do that." She reasoned, and he only gave a non-non-committal gesture with his hand.

"I'm sure I could manage without having him as a best friend."

"He's not that bad."

Wrench shrugged. "For you, maybe. But I don't like him. Sure, he's the 'legendary hacker' we've all learned from and shit, but he's a total dick."

Riley rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "You know, you're not too far off rom that description either."

"How… _dare_ you!" He cried in exaggeration, one hand held to his chest. He pretended to glare at her accusingly. "I'm nothing of the sort."

The brunette looked at him pointedly, not buying that claim. "Yesterday you fried two teens' phones because they were walking too slow in front of us."

"They were taking selfies and going the speed of a goddamn sloth. I'm actually the hero in this scenario." Wrench reasoned with an amused look, and Riley scoffed.

"Sure, sure…" She shook her head, knowing Wrench would keep defending himself regardless. It was a waste of breath trying to get him to be on good terms with Ray. They'd have to figure something out in their own time. She just hoped it wouldn't affect the rest of the group too much. She was tired of hearing them argue whenever they were in close proximity during an operation.

Out of boredom, she grabbed his mask and inspected it closely. Wrench gave her a glance but only smirked, letting her take a closer look at it. She felt along the seams, seeing how finely it was crafted, and the LED configuration.

Turning it around, she saw how the inside was padded with a more breathable material to prevent the leather from irritating Wrench's face. Around the eyes of the mask were tiny little indents, with what she assumed to be some sort of sensor or camera system. Hmm. Was this how it automatically knew which emote to switch to? Cool.

She peered inside, trying to see through Wrench's perspective in the mask. It would probably be presumptuous of her to just put it on, right? It meant a lot to him after all-

She felt a light smack at the back of her head. "Just put it on, you dweeb. I don't care." He said from the side, noticing her burning curiosity. She gave him a playful glare, before bringing the mask all the way onto her face.

Right off the bat, she could feel that it was too big for her. Wrench's nose was slightly bigger than hers, meaning there was a gap between hers and the front of the mask. The sides extended past the curve of her face, almost reaching her ears. But the eyes were in relatively the same space, so she could see out of it.

Riley hadn't known what she expected his vision to be like in the mask, but it didn't appear to be anything different than normal, just with a faint black-lined overlay for the emotes. It almost wasn't noticeable unless you were looking for it.

"Woah." She said, holding it to her face to keep it in place and looking around the garage.

"What?" He asked with a chuckle, watching her fully now. From his perspective, the eyes of the mask became two wide circles, occasionally blinking as she faced left and then right.

"How do you breathe in this thing?" She asked, her voice masked with the robotic filter he'd applied. "Heh, ok this sounds weird."

She laughed, hearing herself talk. Wrench found it adorable. _"I am C-3PO, human, cyborg relations."_ She quoted in her best impression, eyes changing into his happy expression.

Wrench smiled, reaching up and poking her in the head. The eyes became two X's. " _Access denied."_

The eyes switched to the angry slants. _"I'll be back."_

Then, question marks. " _Shall we play a game?"_

"I think it's time to put the mask away." He suggested, wondering how many robot or computer quotes she could think of. They might be here all day, if she loved movies as much as he did. And he was fairly certain she did.

The X's returned again, and she straightened her back. _"I can't do that, Dave."_

Wrench raised a brow, unimpressed. Riley finally relented, taking it off her face and placing it back on the table. "Satisfied?"

"I wanted to put that on at least once so yes, I'm good now." Was her reply, smiling cheerily. Wrench grinned, getting back to his task. He wanted to get this bike done for Marcus. He was sure his friend would love the way it turned out. All of the paint was done, now the only things left were small decals and touch-ups.

Riley swung her legs back and forth again, bored once more. She spent some time watching Wrench work before even that sort of became a little boring. Her eyes swept the garage again, looking for anything to do, suddenly spotting something that hadn't been there before. A man standing in the doorway of the garage. He appeared to be examining the inside with interest.

"Uh, were you expecting any visitors?" She asked quietly, gesturing behind him to the doorway. Out of reflex, he swung his gaze at the door behind him, perhaps forgetting that his mask was not in fact on his face, baring his birthmark to this stranger. The man standing there locked eyes with him, and started walking closer as Wrench whipped his face away. Riley swore she could see…fear in his eyes. Wrench? Afraid? This was new.

"How the fuck did he…" He whispered just loud enough for her to hear, already reaching for the mask that sat on the desk beside him. It was strapped on and in place in a matter of seconds. Wrench turned in place and pointed at the approaching man.

"How the hell did you get here?" He called out in anger, slashes displaying his discontent. Riley dropped down from the table, unsure of what exactly was going on. Did Wrench…know this person?

The man had gone back to looking around the garage, as if unperturbed by the hacker's potential violent reaction to his presence. "I recognized your face when you were leaving the hospital." He said distractedly, eyes still scanning his surroundings, until they finally fixed themselves on Wrench. "No one's got a mark quite like yours, now do they? It was easy to tell."

His mask went blank, but he said nothing. Riley wasn't sure if he was too angry for the mask to register, or if he intentionally wanted his feelings shut away. The man continued before they could respond.

"And it certainly wasn't easy to find you. It took awhile…tracking you down. My people weren't sure where you lived until yesterday." He wandered over to Marcus' motorcycle in the corner, not touching but inspecting, Riley was able to get a good look at him now.

He was blonde, a darker color than Wrench's own light hair. Slightly more built up than the hacker but just as tall. He was dressed sharply, even in this abysmal heat, with black slacks and a tucked in button-up shirt. His tie was in place neatly, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. A very expensive-looking watch adorned his wrist. Just who was this guy, and how did Wrench know him?

"Well, it was a waste of time. I don't want anything to do with you, or them, so get out of my garage." He warned with a dismissive gesture, stepping closer. It was an obvious attempt at intimidation, but this man didn't seem swayed. As if he knew something they did. Riley didn't like that.

The more she looked at his face, the more it looked familiar…

The man smiled with a small shake of his head. "So hostile. You've changed so much since back then."

"I told you to get the fuck out." Wrench said in a much lower tone, another step closer. Riley stood off to the side, gaze switching between them, still utterly confused. Who was this guy? Who was he to Wrench? Gosh, they had the same light-colored eyes, too.

Wait a minute…

The man seemed to be fed up with being brushed aside, because he turned back and faced Wrench again. "Damien, if you would talk to me like an actual adult-"

" _Don't_ …call me that. That's not my fucking name!"

Hold the fuck up. _Damien?_ Was that Wrench's real name? Considering he had nearly physically flinched at the mere mention of it, she was willing to bet it was. Wrench was actually a Damien? Too much was happening all at once for her to process it properly. She was still very much not sure of what was happening, but she began to suspect.

"It _is_ your name. Mother gave it to you." He retorted. Then suddenly it must have dawned on him that Riley was also in their company, because he turned to her with an apologetic bow to his head and a hand to shake. "I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself to you. I'm-"

"Garrett." Wrench interrupted dryly, as if it had a bad aftertaste. "My _brother."_

Things clicked into place for her, but she'd already started to suspect before who he was. Seemed her hunch was correct. That's why he looked so familiar. His facial structure was very similar to Wrench, of course without the birthmark that covered most of his brother's eye. He was handsome, and as a whole charismatic. Just like Wrench. She should have known the moment he walked in.

But that still didn't lessen the amount of shock currently going through her head. There was a whole lot of revelations about Wrench being brought up that she wasn't prepared for.

Garrett shot Wrench a stale stare at his rude interruption, but softened his gaze as Riley took his hand. But instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips and kissed it in the way that fancy people often do. "A pleasure to meet you."

She hadn't quite been expecting that. "Uh-"

Wrench wedged his way between them, pushing his brother back a few feet and keeping Riley at his back. "Don't touch her."

Garrett, still unperturbed, held up his hands in a placating way. However, he did put some distance between them for good measure. "I didn't mean offense."

"What is it you want?" Wrench finally asked harshly, hoping he would say what he needed to say and then leave. Immediately. Riley moved from Wrench's back a bit to the side so she could watch events a bit more clearer.

Garrett shrugged. "Mother and Father want you to come home."

"Like hell they do." Was Wrench's muttered scoff.

Ignoring his remark, Garrett continued. "It's not like their request is unfounded. You ran away. They haven't seen you for 10 years. Of course they'd be worried about their youngest son. And is it so strange that I want to get to know the brother I used to have?"

Wrench huffed out a humorless laugh, as if he didn't believe Garrett's claim. From what Riley knew of Wrench and his family, perhaps he couldn't seriously believe that his family would worry about him, or even care about what happened to him after all was said and done. How sad, she thought to herself.

Garrett must have guessed the same thing. "You don't have to believe me, but that's the truth."

"Fuck you. And fuck them." He finally spat with a shake of his head, walking closer threateningly. "For the last time, get the hell out of my garage. If I ever see you walk in here again, you won't be able to walk _out._ "

Both brothers stared each other down, one much more angry than the other, with Riley standing to the side unsure of what to do or say. This didn't really have anything to do with her, but she wanted to help somehow. Wrench was obviously upset, but maintaining the tough facade for the sake of Garrett, if she knew him at all. He probably wanted to break something right now, given the amount of stress in the room.

Garrett finally took a long breath, releasing it slowly. His expression remained calm. Always in control. "I haven't yet told them where you live. But if you don't agree to see them, I'll make sure they know."

At first Wrench didn't respond, just faced Garrett with three dots on either side of his mask. Eventually, he threw up his hands and the angry slashes returned in full. "Fuck…" He walked away meanderingly, trying to clear his thoughts.

It was a clever bind. He either agrees to see them, or they'll never stop pestering him so he'd either have to eventually cave or move out of the country or some shit. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Why should he have to pick up and move because of them? He didn't have a choice, when it came down to it.

"It's up to you." Garrett said, standing there waiting for an answer.

Riley looked to Wrench, watching as he slowly came to terms with the situation. She wondered what was going through his head as he paced the concrete floors.

"If I want any goddamn peace in my life again, I fucking have to go. So, when am I being _summoned?_ " He spat. Riley was amazed that Garrett hadn't caved to Wrench's volatile nature, and his penchant for swearing. The man looked like the worst he dealt with was a spot of dust on his marble flooring. He handled a pissed-off estranged brother remarkably well. She supposed deceiving looks ran in the family, recalling how she had been surprised with Wrench's own contradicting personality in comparison to his appearance.

Garrett gave a small smile. "This afternoon-"

" _Hell_ no!" Wrench immediately denied. "If I'm going back, I need time to get fucked-up drunk first, and I don't have enough alcohol. They can fucking wait!"

Apparently that was all that Wrench could handle for the day, because he went straight back to his work tables after a dismissive wave and began grabbing random things from the table, trying to find something to do with his hands. Maybe he just didn't want to focus on the fact that his brother was here to bring him back home.

Riley watched as Garrett sighed inaudibly to himself, eyes closing momentarily, before catching her eye. Riley supposed she had to be the spokesperson for the time being now, because Wrench was far too pissed-off now to be reasoned with. If Garrett's intention had been to keep things civil and nice, he had done a shit job of it. Tact wasn't the way to go with Wrench. Not for things he didn't like.

"When would a good time be?" She asked politely. No need to be abusive to him just because Wrench had deep-seated issues with him. Riley herself didn't have a reason to hate him. Yet. Whether it was justified remained to be seen.

Garrett seemed to appreciate her civility, nodding a silent thanks. "If today isn't good, then perhaps tomorrow afternoon? Say…2:00?"

They both glanced at Wrench to see what he had to say about it. Apparently nothing. All he did was aggressively stab at a computer tower he had planned on taking apart later on. He ignored the both of them. But he wasn't adamantly telling them no either, so she supposed that was a good enough sign.

"That should be fine." She replied. Still no opposition or agreement from Wrench, but she was willing to bet he was still listening closely to their conversation.

"We'll expect you then." Garrett confirmed, looking towards Wrench's back in expectation, but the hacker didn't bother acknowledging him any further. Turning back to Riley, he gave a silent nod in farewell, before leaving through the same way he'd come.

Riley watched him go, then nearly jumped as a metal grating sound echoed around the space. The garage doors began to close, and when she looked over, Wrench had his finger on the button to lower the metal paneling down. His head was downturned, shoulders tense underneath his t-shirt.

The garage finally shut, leaving the both of them in an uncomfortably long silence. Riley didn't know how to bring up the subject, and Wrench did appear to want to talk about it. But they had to. He released the button and began pacing the area in front of the tables again. He rubbed at his arms, constantly moving, unsure of what to do with himself and all this anger and frustration.

Riley took a step forward, hoping to put him at ease. "Wrench-"

"Son of a _bitch!"_ He yelled suddenly, grabbing the nearest thing off the table, an empty beer bottle from the night before, and chucked it as hard as he could against the nearest stone pillar. The brunette flinched as it shattered upon impact, sending thousands of shards of glass in every direction. A few pieces bounced harmlessly against the skin of her arms, but she still shied away from it regardless.

So she held off from saying anything else until he calmed himself down enough. For several minutes he paced the garage, cursing and grumbling under his breath, grabbing unimportant trash and other small odds and ends from the tables and hurling them across the space. Riley made sure to keep her distance when he did so, not wanting to accidentally have a motorcycle or computer part chucked in her direction. Wrench was mindful of where she was so that wouldn't happen, but better safe than sorry.

On an unrelated note, she realized Wrench had been right about one thing. Distractions certainly helped with the heat. She hadn't even thought about the temperature and how uncomfortable it was until things had settled down between Garrett and Wrench. Now, though, it returned in full and she could feel the sweat pooling on her forehead.

Before long he eventually started to calm. Or, at least stop throwing things around. Until finally he also stopped pacing, and leaned against the table, crossing his arms. His mask was blank, either too angry or too upset to change into anything.

He sighed heavily, shoulders rising and falling as he breathed. Riley took his ceased movement as a good sign, and hesitantly came closer to him.

"Wrench?" She tested, but he didn't react violently. Good. These were all good signs. Another few steps and she was directly in front of him. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

One hand reached up and hesitantly combed through his messy blonde hair, trying to soothe him further. It was a…'kink' of his, if you could call it that. But not in a sexual way, specifically. She'd found that just running her fingers through his hair tended to relax him. Hopefully it would still do so now.

"It's all fucked." He growled, shaking his head. She recalled using a very similar phrase after finding out about her own job's deception. "I never wanted to go back there."

"I know." Riley looked at him empathetically, fingers still slowly playing with his hair. It seemed to be of some help, his shoulders slumped and relaxed versus how they were before. "I'm sorry you're being dragged into something you don't want."

"Not your fault." He muttered.

He was right, it wasn't her fault, but she still felt bad that he wasn't happy. There wasn't much more she could do besides be there for him, so that's what she did. Silently reminding him she was there by gently soothing him down from his anger.

Eventually, the mask displayed two underscores, indicating his eyes were closed. His hands loosely held her hips, thumbs brushing the skin just above the hem of her shorts slowly as they just stood there.

They listened to the sound of people going by outside, muffled and distorted by the metal doors and concrete walls. Cars drove by. Wind brushed against trees at the edge of their hearing.

"Tomorrow," he started after some time of silence, "will you come with me?"

She looked up into his mask. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged, not able to come up with any believable reason. "I just don't want to deal with them by myself. It'll be easier for me if I have you around." Then, he looked up at her rapidly. "Just…don't ever call me that name. Please."

Riley nodded, seeing the vulnerability back in his tone. She hadn't really heard it since he visited her in the hospital. She thought she understood. 'Damien' was the person he'd been back before running away. 'Wrench' was the identity he created for himself afterwards, taking control of his life as he wanted. She could relate, but with Wrench it was just in a much more literal sense. Denying his real name was denying his past. Running away from it.

It might not be the healthiest method of dealing with his problem, but Riley wasn't about to tell him how he should live his life. If this was how he wanted to handle things, she'd support whatever his decision was.

In reply to his request, she smiled. "I never intended to." She let her fingers trail down some of the spikes on his mask. "Because you're _Wrench_ , and nobody else."

Wrench looked at her with two small circles on his mask, before reaching up and taking it off entirely. The brunette felt a tug on her shorts' belt loop, and the next moment he was kissing her. It was…strangely desperate, or some other emotion she couldn't quite understand, but she wasn't exactly complaining, lips moving in time with his.

He knew she probably didn't understand the significance of what she'd said, and how much that actually meant to him, but he hoped he could somehow communicate that through this kiss, pulling her closer.


	39. Uncomfortable Family Affairs

The tension in the cabin of the small sedan was palpable. And that was understating it. Not on any account of Riley, of course, but Wrench's attitude all that morning had been—predictably—less than stellar. Before they'd left that morning, he'd muttered dark things to himself, too low for her to hear, pacing at random times, crushing the empty soda cans after he'd finished with them for breakfast, and kicked around debris at his garage. Needless to say, he wasn't looking forward to the day's events at all. Riley didn't entirely blame him.

Once it was time to leave he'd taken them South beyond the limits of San Francisco. He hadn't told them precisely where their destination was, but at this point he was in too bad of a mood for her to comfortably ask. He might snap at her unintentionally. She wasn't too worried being left in the dark, though. She trusted Wrench. But it would be nice to know how long this car ride was going to be…

There was practically no conversation for the first half hour. Wrench tried to come off as being relaxed and at ease, but his constant seat shifting told another story. He couldn't seem to sit still, or seemed to know where to keep his hands. They repeatedly changed position on the steering wheel. Riley would normally say something about it, maybe tease him a little. But she said nothing today. It wasn't the right mood or time for it.

An hour in, and they were following signs for San Jose, the closest big city to San Fran. She hadn't ever been there, truthfully. No reason to go. But she'd always been curious to see how different the two neighbors were. Traffic was just as bad going into the city as SF could get, so that didn't seem to change.

As they grew closer to their destination, it seemed Wrench became even more high strung. Shoulders rigid, hands tight around the wheel. Riley was tired of the silence then, she had to say something. Anything. She had a few questions of her own anyway.

"What are some things I should expect from this?" She asked, having no clue what exactly she was walking into. Wrench hadn't gone into any details about anything, preferring not to even talk about it.

Wrench shook his head, but eventually answered. Those angry slashes stared straight out the window. "Dad's always been a hard-ass. Intimidating. Probably won't smile at all. Mom's…" he had to think about it for a second. "…either smothering you in a way you can tell is fake, or being a bitch."

Riley raised a brow. Oddly specific descriptions, but ok. He hadn't seen them in ten+ years. Maybe things had changed? Although the experience with her own mother lead to a different conclusion. Better not to get their hopes up.

He shrugged after a moment. "I'm not really sure, honestly. I don't even know what they fucking want with me after all this time."

"Well," she started, knowing her line of thinking could cause another angry outburst on his part, "maybe Garrett was telling the truth. Is it so hard to believe that they just want to reconnect with-"

"Yes." He interrupted harshly before she could finish the thought.

"Alright." She said lightly, hands held up defensively. "I just wanted to know. I don't know anything about these people is all."

"You'll see soon enough." Was all he said, ending the conversation there. Touchy subject, obviously.

Riley was impressed that even after so many years, Wrench seemed to know the area as well as he did San Francisco. There was no hesitation in his turns or lane changes, and he didn't glance around at nearby landmarks to figure out where he was. His driving lead them past the main congestion of the city and towards the more mountainous and spacious areas within the zip code limits. The wealthy area, she examined with curiosity.

He made a turn onto a street named 'Briarwood Vineyard Avenue,'—pompous, much?—and drove up the sloping hill. The houses here were expensive-looking. Almost straight out of those realtor magazines. Perfectly green lawns, neatly trimmed, expensive cars parked in their driveways. As they drove up the street, things just looked more and more wealthy the further they went.

Until the hit the end of the street. Wrench turned right onto the connecting road and drove for a ways. There weren't any other houses this way, but the road still looked well-kept and trim. Before long, on the left side, a large house came into view through the trees.

"That's it there?" She pointed towards it, and he nodded. The house was…

Not a house.

"You lived in a fucking mansion?" Riley asked incredulously, mouth agape as a few more details of the manor came into view. How had he not mentioned this before?

The house itself was a brilliant white, seemingly even brighter with the sun shining against the surface. Once of the first things she noticed was just how many windows there were. So many rooms it must have on the inside…Some trees still blocked most of her view, so she couldn't see more than that at the moment.

As they drove closer, the road curved around to head directly towards it, and she could see a black, metal gate denying entrance to the house. Wrench slowed the vehicle and rolled down the driver's side window, coasting up next to the security checkpoint where a guard was seated inside the small post.

He peeked into the car and hummed. "Ah, yes. We were told to expect you." The man said with disinterest, unaffected by Wrench's mask or the punk-esque style clothes he wore. Either he wasn't outwardly showing his disdain, or he genuinely didn't care.

Wrench said nothing, just waiting there as the guard hit a button for the gate to open. It slowly pulled apart, and as soon as there was enough clearance on either side for the car to go through, he started towards the manor again, rolling the window back up. Riley could see in the distance a fountain directly in front of the house.

Tall trees lined the 'driveway' if you could even call this long road up to the house itself a road. The mansion lay directly straight ahead, framed by the trees to create a looming and superior feeling. They wanted you to know they were better than you, was her first thought of the design choice. The fountain she'd seen earlier was actually the center of a circular driveway, and Wrench pulled them directly in front of the entryway.

He put the car in park and leaned back in his seat, letting out a deep sigh. Riley looked over and gave him a small smile once he caught her eye. His mask switched from X's to underscores. As if preparing himself for walking in there.

"In and out, then we get some greasy fast food after?" She proposed hopefully. Wrench was in such a funk the whole way she hadn't bothered telling him she was hungry as they drove. Better to just get this all over with now and eat later once he didn't have anything else to worry about.

He nodded silently, mask finally returning to his regular X's. He turned off the engine and pocketed the keys, opening the driver's door to get out. Riley followed after on the passenger side, and they walked up to the door of the mansion side by side. Just the steps themselves were marble, and a glimmering white. How did they keep everything so clean?

Riley had never actually been in a mansion before, but her first thought was that the metal, gargoyle-style door knocker on the front was a bit stereotypical. Wrench reached up and banged it a few times, perhaps a bit harder than necessary. Just to be annoying.

Within seconds, the door was opened by Garrett himself. Dressed just as smartly as yesterday, this time sporting a light blue button up shirt instead of the white one. His black slacks were still in place, as were his black dress shoes. They wore shoes inside? How did they keep their floors clean, she thought to herself.

"You're on time. Good." Garrett said, as if he'd been expecting Wrench to show up hours late. Wrench shot him a glare and pushed past him inside.

"Let's just get this over with." He grumbled, loud enough for them both to hear.

Garrett allowed him the rude intrusion, turning to Riley and opening the door a bit wider for her, nodding his head to indicate she could come inside. She did so, immediately dazzled by the interior.

Marble flooring, of course, with another small fountain as soon as you walked into the foyer. The eye-catching piece was taller in height than her, with cherubs pouring from bowls down what was supposed to be a steep mountainscape. Each tier held another cherub, with another bowl, pouring more water down to the next tier, until it all flowed to the circular stone pool at the bottom.

White seemed to be the general theme for the home. The walls were the same bright white color as the exterior paint, occasionally adorned with a mirror or other expensive looking decorative piece. Some looked antique. Even close to something classified as an artifact. The sword and shield on the wall looked genuine, and she had half a mind to ask if it held any significant historical value.

Garrett didn't give them much more time to stop and look, and lead them back through the halls of the house to a large living room. Of sorts. It seemed too fancy to call it something so mundane. Riley's living room had a tv and couch, and carpet. This one had wood floors and sitting chairs, a few small tables. That was it. But somehow it seemed more elegant and more significant. One side of the wall, however, was entirely comprised of windows, which overlooked into an interior open-air courtyard within the structure of the house. This allowed natural light to illuminate the room. How fancy.

Two figures were seated in two of the chairs, their backs to the entrance they came through. Garrett lead in front, clearing his throat.

The man turned in his seat, facing the group. "Ah, son. Right on time, as usual. Bring them here." Before she could get a good look at his father, he turned back around, holding up a wine glass.

Wrench's description of his father was apt. By voice alone he fit one of those words perfectly. Intimidating. Deep, clear, and commanding, it was the voice of someone who held authority and expected orders followed to the letter. She swallowed, hoping that she could portray an outward confidence she didn't actually feel. Hopefully her being here wouldn't make things worse.

Before they could reach their seats, his mother stood and faced Wrench. She was wrapped in a high-end dark-orange colored shift dress. It was stylish and definitely expensive. Simple but fashionable sandals adorned her feet.

Riley could certainly see the family resemblance. He definitely got his eyes from her, those startling blues were unmistakably vibrant and similar to Wrench's. She had a beautiful face, but not a kind one. Riley was always wary of those women. Her hair fell in red waves down her back. Not a natural red, obviously dyed. Riley wondered what her natural color was.

"Oh, my sweet boy Damien!" She cried out, arms spread wide to encompass him as she walked closer. Riley saw his mask instantly become downward slashes. She had a feeling he'd be called that irksome name a lot today. "You have no idea how much I've worried for all these years. What must have happened to you!"

Before she could hug him, he backed up several steps and swatted her hand away. "Don't touch me. And don't call me that." He said with venom, and she dropped her arms with an understanding expression.

"You need time to adjust to being home again. I understand. But I'm just so happy to see you here." There was a pause, before she frowned in concern. "Why do you hide your face? Is your birthmark still there? Has it healed any?"

Before anyone could say anything more, Wrench jumped in, cutting off any of her further questions. "I'm only here to listen to what you have to say, then I'm leaving and never coming back. I'm not staying in this goddamn house any longer than I have to." He stated matter-of-factly, as if daring anyone to say otherwise. His mother looked shocked, slightly disgusted by his tone perhaps, that he'd been so cold to her.

The one person who did dare to say something stood from his seat and joined his wife's side. "Boy," he started with obvious contempt, "I'm certain I didn't raise you to speak to your mother in that way."

Riley nearly recoiled from how daunting Wrench's father could be. He was taller than Wrenc, which was no small feat; Wrench was 6'1 by himself, several inches taller than Riley. But his father was several inches above even that. In her eyes, he seemed to tower over her. He wasn't particularly muscular, but she was willing to bet he could still lift her weight easily.

The man was dressed in similar fashion to Garrett, a dark red button up with black slacks and shiny black shoes. His hair was gray and receding from age. His disapproving expression was wrought with lines and the beginnings of wrinkles. Wrench was right. No smile in his dark brown eyes or at his lips. No sign of amusement at all.

While Riley was trying her best not to retreat, Wrench stood firm in front of him, two equals signs on his mask. He crossed his arms defiantly, staring him down. Well, more accurately, up, because of the height difference. Riley glanced over at his mother, seeing her put on a front of being offended, but mostly disappointed. Her gaze shifted over to Garrett, who looked…nervous? He was at attention. Like a soldier.

The family shared a tense moment—and an extremely awkward one, at least to Riley—before his father furrowed his brow. "And what is with the atrocious clothing you are wearing? What is _this_?" He gestured to his mask with distaste, then his exposed arms. "Tattoos? Do you know how unprofessional someone comes across as when they have such marks marring their bodies?"

Wrench's mask became three dots on either side. "Oh, you don't like the way I look? I guess some things never fucking change."

Riley caught Garrett looking away with regret marking his expression, before returning it back to the neutral one he'd been trying to maintain. Interesting…

The father narrowed his eyes at the foul language, making it abundantly clear that he did not appreciate his behavior thus far. And Wrench made it just as obvious that he didn't give a shit.

His mother stepped closer, gesturing to the mask. "Why don't you take it off so I can take a good look at you?"

"No." Was his solid and firm answer.

She looked crestfallen then, but Riley could see how it could be fake. "You'd deny a mother the right to see her son's face?"

Wrench only shot her a silent glare, daring her to use that sort of guilt-laden excuse again. She seemed to have been expecting this, and nodded graciously. "Alright, well, is anyone hungry for a light meal? I can have the kitchen make us a snack for the afternoon."

He gave a terse shake of his head. "Not hungry."

Garrett finally cleared his throat awkwardly, indicating the empty chairs. "Why don't we all sit down and have a chat? Catch up on lost time?" He suggested, hoping that they'd take the offered transition from this tense atmosphere.

Wrench's mother jumped onto the idea, seeing as her other two suggestions failed miserably. "Yes, why don't we? I'd love to hear all about you. There must be so much for you to tell us about after all these years."

The two men didn't look away from each other, but his father seemed to compose himself finally. "It would be rather rude of us not to offer a seat to our guests." He turned away and sat back down in the seat he'd been occupying before they walked in.

Wrench gave her a glance, indicating he was alright for the time being. He was still pissed, though. This whole situation pissed him off, and he didn't want to be here, but he'd bear it much easier with her around. She walked forward to sit, and he gently lead her to a seat with a hand on her back. It was a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. Riley was already feeling a bit overwhelmed in the presence of these people. But if Wrench could deal with them, the people he so hated, she could too.

When they were all sitting, Wrench with one leg propped over the other just to annoy the others, there was another small pause before his mother spoke again.

"Why don't you introduce us to your friend here?" She locked her gaze on the brunette, who tried not to let all of the wealthy attention bother her.

"This is Riley. My girlfriend." Wrench said genuinely, looking at her for support. He could tell she felt a little intimidated by his family.

"Girlfriend?" His mother asked in genuine surprise, raising one brow curiously. What was she surprised about? That she wasn't what she expected in a girlfriend, or that Wrench had gotten a girlfriend at all? How rude, if that was the case. It irked Riley to no end.

Riley suddenly felt self-conscious in the jeans and blouse she decided to wear. Not quite the designer clothing his mother sported. She hadn't realized they were going to be in the presence of such rich people. Maybe she would have thought a bit more about what to wear. Wrench hadn't seemed to mind when she'd showed up to his garage. What did they matter anyway?

"And what is it you do, Riley?" His father asked, reaching for the wine glass he'd been drinking from before they entered the room. Though it came across more of a demand for information. Perhaps he couldn't turn that effect off even if he wanted to.

"I'm…a journalist for the Tri-Valley Herald. I also do freelance writing on the side" She half-lied. It was better than 'I'm a rogue hacker exposing corrupt businessmen semi-illegally.' Plus it would be even worse to say she was unemployed, which was much closer to the truth. Better not mention that.

"Oh, a writer." His mother said with…interest? She couldn't quite tell if that enthusiasm was genuine or just pretend. There was Wrench's description of her becoming a bit clearer. She seemed the type to gossip behind your back about how much of a disappointment you were. Ugh.

"Hmm. Not much business in that nowadays. I hope you don't feel as if you wasted your time in college for a non-influential career." His father mused to himself, swirling the wine around before taking a sip. "Have you thought about the potential of a business degree?"

Riley blinked, never having had someone insinuate such an insult to her profession in that way before. Ok, maybe Wrench's description wasn't exactly accurate, because hard-ass didn't even begin to cover it. Jackass, more like. Wrench caught her eye, nearly bristling from the disrespect in his father's remark, but she shook her head minutely. The more irritated she became with their behavior, the less they seemed intimidating. She would handle this.

"I quite enjoy what I do." The brunette defended as politely as she could. "And no, I don't think I'll be going back to college anytime soon."

"Hmm." He hummed again, seeming to mull over that information. Then, he turned to Garrett on a whim. "Son, how many degrees have you acquired now?"

Garrett grimaced out of his parents' view, but answered nonetheless. "A master's degree in finance, and a bachelor's in economics."

"Yes, a very stable choice." His father went on to say, silently proving a point that nobody asked or wanted him to make. Wrench glared at his father mercilessly, unappreciative of the fact that he was trying to discredit or put down Riley in any way.

Wrench's mother leaned in with an enthusiastic smile, obviously quite proud. "Garrett is engaged to be married. His fiancé, oh she's a lovely girl." Reaching over to the small table beside her, she picked up a framed photo and passed it over to Riley. The brunette took it, see Garrett posing beside a…well, she could only describe her as extremely gorgeous woman.

"Valentina is a model in Russia. She's over there right now working, and planning the wedding." His mother added.

A fucking model. Of course. The woman, who's blonde hair looked unnaturally perfect that went to nearly her mid-back, smiled prettily into the camera with a dazzlingly white smile. She used only minimal makeup, emphasizing her natural beauty. How lucky of her to be able to look that way without concealer and a certain hairstyle to frame parts of her face. Riley sighed internally, suddenly feeling self-conscious again. Maybe she could stand to go to the gym a bit more, eyeing the woman's slender legs and visible thigh gap. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Wrench eyeing the photo as well. Did he secretly wish she looked more like her? Ugh, this was depressing.

"Huh. Congrats I guess." He said without much enthusiasm as Riley passed the photo back to his mother.

"Thank you." Garrett accepted the sentiment despite his tone, clearing his throat again. Was he…embarrassed? She understood why Wrench hated his family, but Garrett seemed a bit…different. Something about him seemed genuine. Real. And…regretful, for some reason.

"We expected him to be married by now, but work comes first, of course." His father said pointedly. "Your brother went to Italy to meet with potential clients, which postponed the wedding."

"We rescheduled for this next Summer." Garrett added.

"Surely you'd like to come to the wedding? Wouldn't that be nice, going as a family all together. Of course, you'd have to go in something a bit more…appropriate, but that can be arranged." His mother added, eyeing the mask that covered his face.

"I would rather be skinned alive than go to any sort of social function with you people." He described blatantly. His mother held up a hand to her chest with a small gasp, and his father resorted to glaring once more.

"Boy, I won't warn you again about your behavior."

"What're you gonna do, ground me?" The hacker challenged, tone rife with sarcasm, and he spread his arms out. "I'm only here because I have to be. And that means I'm not gonna make this experience easy for anyone. You wanted to see me? Well, here I am, in all my disappointing glory. How's it feel to have a fucked up son staining the family name?"

Wrench was certainly right, they didn't have much sway over his actions now. He was independent and on his own. What could they realistically do to curb his attitude? Nothing. But Riley wished he wouldn't use the self-deprecating humor to prove his point.

There was several seconds of silence, before his mother shook her head. "You've certainly garnered a filthy mouth while you've been away, haven't you?"

Wrench turned his default X's towards her. "I sure as _shit_ have."

Riley could tell his mother was bothered, but she kept up that polite smile of hers, shaking her head dismissively. "Well, I'm sure it'll take time for us to get used to this new you, but I'm confident we can all become the family we used to be."

Wrench scoffed and shook his head. Were they even listening to him? God, she was infuriating. "Why in the hell would I want to do that?"

"Haven't you missed your family?" She asked. "Haven't you missed not having to worry about having everything you need? This is a life of comfort and safety. Surely you want to return to that. We can give you everything you need to live a happy life here." His mother reasoned.

Wrench was too pissed to respond, so he only shook his head and looked away. Riley watched with a different, unbiased perspective, and she was starting to put some pieces together.

Neither of them were sure of why they'd wanted to meet with Wrench after so many years. Perhaps to reconnect, but the hacker seem adamant that that wasn't the case at all. So far, Riley could discern that his mother was trying her best to convince him that they could start over, or become a family again. Though she wasn't certain why.

His father didn't seem to have an agenda towards this exchange, but perhaps it was just well hidden.

Garrett in particular was interesting. He almost seemed apologetic for having the exchange go so badly. Maybe he genuinely wanted things to go well. Maybe he did want to reconnect with Wrench in some way. She'd have to watch a bit more to be sure, though.

Apparently unconcerned that Wrench was upset with her, his mother stood and clapped her hands together with a perky smile. "Why don't we have a look around the garden? So much has changed since you've been home, and I'm certain Riley would love to see the lilies."

God, this whole encounter was a fucking train wreck. Really awkward conversations followed by obvious attempts to steer the discussion back in a direction that might work out, only to ultimately fail too. Wrench had been right to want to stay away. She'd have avoided this sort of experience if she were him too.

"Some fresh air may help clear some of our heads." His father said pointedly, staring at Wrench without discretion as he stood from his chair. He'd finished his wine and set the empty glass on the table.

The DedSec members didn't have much choice, seeing as when Wrench looked towards the direction of the front entrance to possibly escape, Garrett interjected into his line of sight and shook his head a bit, reminding him that the threat still stood unless he saw this to the end. Wrench sighed and followed after his parents, wishing this would be over soon.

* * *

 

"The gardeners did a lovely job with the dahlias." Wrench's mother prattled on, pointing out specific species of flower as they walked along the stone path in the vast and elegant garden located in the back of the house. "Oh, but my absolute favorite are the roses and the alstroemerias over here. Absolutely lovely when they bloom together. The colors side by side clash just perfectly."

Riley wasn't much of a flower person, and simply smiled politely, nodding along at each patch of garden that they examined. She'd somehow been separated from Wrench along the path, so it was just her and his mother currently exploring the grounds of the house. The men had been walking behind her but at some point they were nowhere to be found when Riley turned back to look at him. She'd panicked for a moment, but soon spotted them further back standing under a gazebo where they'd first come out of the house. Maybe this had been the mother's plan to separate them all. Or the father's. Who knew?

"Shouldn't we go back towards the others?" She asked, hoping it would prompt the tour of the garden to be cut short. But his mother only waved a hand.

"Oh, let's let Damien have some one-on-one time with his father and brother. I imagine they have a lot they need to discuss." She said, but Riley wasn't sure exactly what she meant. They walked for several more feet along the path silently, and the brunette took the opportunity to distract herself with all the flowers. It was better than talking to the woman in front of her.

"So, Riley," the mother suddenly said after another moment, turning to face the brunette in a serious tone, "what is your background like?"

"My…background?"

The red-head nodded. "Where do you come from? Who are your parents? If you're going to be involved with someone in my family, I think I'm owed at least that information."

"I-" She was caught off guard, and it took her a moment to remember the details of her own life. "I'm originally from New York. My dad passed away when I was a teenager. I lived with my mother for a few years, then went to college for my degree. After that, I moved here about a year ago."

"I'm sorry to hear about your father." The woman said, though her expression didn't seem to quite match her words. "And what does your mother do?"

"She's…" Riley trailed off, wondering whether to tell the truth or try to come up with a lie that would make her life seem better than it was. Aww, well. Wrench didn't seem to try to embellish anything about himself to please his family, so why should Riley? They weren't trying to impress them or anything. "My mom is in jail."

That stopped her short, frowning deeply. "Oh, my. Jail? What on earth for?"

"Well, drug possession, drug distribution, and a few other charges when she was resisting arrest." Riley said, finally shrugging. "So, I've been by myself for quite a long time."

"I see…that's certainly disappointing. Though now I can see why Damien grew attached to you." She concluded, and Riley cocked her head. She had to hold back the quip to not call him by that name.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She gestured to a veranda up ahead, and they walked towards it. A bench sat within it, and they both sat at Wrench's mother's suggestion.

"Troubled people tend to accrue trouble, as I've come to understand. Damien was that way as a child, and he must see something familiar in your mutual flaws." She said curtly, eyes flicking over her outfit again discreetly. Riley probably wasn't meant to notice it, but she did.

"What was he like exactly?" She questioned, wanting to hear things from their perspective. She'd ignore the insult to her character as well. Troubled? Pff.

His mother shook her head sadly. "He was born with that horrid mark on his face, which set him up for a life of hardships and challenges that Garrett would never have to experience. The world would look at him differently, treat him differently. For a family of our status," she said in an un-ironically snobby way, "it's even worse."

Wrench's birthmark honestly wasn't that bad, Riley thought to herself. "How so?"

"Damien first attended the same private school as Garrett, but the other children began to shun him for the way he looked. It was even beginning to affect the way their parents perceived us as a family. We couldn't put our reputation at risk, so we decided to pull him out of the private school and have him educated by personal tutors at home."

Riley's eye twitched upon hearing their reasoning for making that decision. She hadn't mentioned Wrench's own wellbeing at all, instead citing their social reputation as the thing most worth preserving.

"For that same reason, we kept him occupied with a nanny during social gatherings. Why put a child through the humiliation of being the odd one out in a large group of people like that? It would be cruel of us, really." The woman said.

What…what kind of justification was that? Wasn't keeping him completely out of the public eye even worse? She couldn't imagine what impression young Wrench would have gleaned from that action alone. Did he feel as though they were just trying to erase him? Pretend he didn't exist? "How often did you have gatherings like that?"

His mother perked up, smile widening. "Oh, at least every week. We love engaging with others in the trade. It was a great way for little Garrett to be exposed to the world of business, as well. A small taste of the work that his father did. And a great way to connect to future potential investors."

Riley had the urge to punch the woman, but she somehow held it back. Every week…No wonder Wrench didn't think fondly of his mother. Or brother. From the sound of it, she'd kept him locked away all the time, hoping no one took offense to the birthmark on his face. They didn't want their own son ruining their credibility and perfect image within the community, so they locked him away.

Still, she felt there was more information to be gleaned from her. Best to pretend like every word out of her mouth didn't set Riley's teeth on edge. "I can see how he would be a troublemaker. He's quite outgoing."

"Goodness, is he? How strange." His mother said with a raised brow.

"Why is that strange?"

She tossed a hand dismissively. "He'd always been incredibly shy. He could barely put two words together, and was constantly staring at his shoes. I'm sure the mark had something to do with it." His mother continued on. "He became even more recluse after the school issue, but strangely enough, he began to act out of turn much more frequently, now that I think about it."

Shy? Well no wonder. It sounded as if he didn't have any exposure to other people besides his caretakers. Children learned mannerisms and language from play and other children around them their age. Keeping him locked away for most of his childhood would have effected how he could interact with others. So much was wrong with this scenario.

And the acting out? Riley had read somewhere in one of her college classes that children tended to make trouble in order to get attention from their parents when they felt neglected or ignored. Neglected. That was the closest word she had to describe what his childhood had been like. It saddened her and angered her all at the same time.

She may have been abused, but neglect was just as bad. To have a family that didn't care about you? How dare they treat their own son that way. What did it matter the way he looked? He was a human being that deserved the same respect as they did. She was getting tired of these people, and fast.

"How close were Garret and…Damien?" The word was foreign on her lips. She resisted the urge to call him by the name she knew, if only to keep his mother talking without annoying her in some way. She wanted to know as much as she possibly could from her.

"Not as close as they could have been. Damien's bad behavior grew worse and worse the older he became. Often times we had to confine him to his room as punishment, so the boys didn't see each other all that frequently." She shrugged then, as if it wasn't of much importance. "Besides, Garrett had other friends to play with, and we didn't want his little brother becoming some sort of bad influence."

"I see." The brunette ground out, barely able to maintain her neutral tone and expression.

The mother didn't seem to notice Riley's increasingly negative mood towards her, and continued on anyway. "Oh, but it's nice to see him back home. Maybe Garrett can take him under his wing and they can all take part in their father's business together."

Her smile was stiff and dreamy. "Damien's skills with computers and coding would be of great help to his father, as well."

They knew…about his hacking skills? She was sure he hadn't developed them until after running away, based on how he described his past before. Riley narrowed her eyes. Wrench's skills? Was that what this was about? They wanted to have him work for them? Having a hacker on your repertoire of resources could certainly give you an edge above your rivals and competitors. Suddenly it all made a whole lot of sense. Had Wrench been right, and all of this was just a sham to get close to him, to use him?

"Is that all you want him for?" She burst out, unable to hold back. "You just want another asset in the family business?"

"Excuse me?" The mother looked taken aback, being spoken to in such a fashion. That seemed to be happening a lot today for her.

Riley frowned. "Why exactly did you have Garrett track Wrench down?'

"Wrench? His name is Dami-"

"Just answer the question." The brunette interrupted rudely.

The mother, who'd until that point smiled politely at her for the duration of the visit, switched to a much more pompous and 'I'm better than you' expression. There was her true face, the one who didn't much care about you unless you could be of some use to her. Apparently she'd determined that Riley couldn't be of any use to her.

"What the members of my family do and for what reason are strictly our own business, not that of some street girl. Perhaps you're the reason my boy is so vulgar and aggressive now. You may be a nice girl upfront, but underneath that smile there's a witch hiding."

Witch? Oh there was only one fucking witch between the two of them and it certainly wasn't Riley. She stood from the seat, tired of talking with her. But she had a bit of venting to do first.

"What kind of mother sees only a _tool_ from her children? Do you even love them?"

"Of course I-"

"For more than what they can do for you!?"

That seemed to cut her short, and the older woman glared up at Riley. "I think you've overstayed your welcome. I'll have security escort you out."

"Like hell you will." The brunette spat, already walking towards where she'd last seen Wrench. She hoped he was still in a hurry to leave as he was before, because she was going to drag them both out if she had to. But first…

The men all came into view as she wandered up the path, and she could hear the mother's footsteps coming up behind her. She ignored her. Wrench was obviously still on edge, facing away from them as he leaned on the supports of the veranda they stood under. His father was saying something to him, but she couldn't hear at this distance. And Garrett stood to the side observing. Watching Wrench hopefully.

As Riley approached, his father stopped talking, and she garnered everyone's attention. Wrench instantly saw how upset she was, and flashed questions marks. Instead of just grabbing Wrench's hand and dragging him away like she was want to do, she went straight up to the father, the extremely tall father, and stuck a finger in his chest rudely.

"What kind of fucking family do you think you are?" She seethed, leering up at him dangerously.

Behind her, though she couldn't see it, Garrett's eyes went wide, never having seen anyone speak to his father that way. Wrench on the other hand had to resist to keep the hearts from popping up on his mask. There was something about an angry Riley that was incredibly hot to him. Especially when she was aimed at someone he also despised.

"That is enough, young lady!" The mother said behind her breathlessly. The woman's arm grabbed Riley by the shoulder but the brunette shook it away.

"Don't you lay a hand on her." She heard Wrench threaten quietly, but she didn't take her eyes off the father. He looked down at her with distaste.

"I would watch your tone, my dear." He warned, expertly schooling his expression into a calm and collected mask.

"Watch my tone, my ass. This whole fucking family is fake! I've never seen people as horrid as you! You drag your son, who you both neglected as a child so much that he had to _run away_ , back here after all these years just to try to use him for your own personal gain! And you pretend like you give a shit about him to trick him into working for you to take advantage of his skills! You only care about him as long as he has some fucking purpose in your business!"

Garrett looked down at the ground uncomfortably, regretfully, but said nothing. Wrench shot them all exclamation points, understanding finally why they'd blackmailed him to come here. Riley had just figured it out sooner. And she was pissed on his behalf. How sweet. And fucking hot.

"You're the one who orchestrated this, aren't you?" The brunette rounded on his mother, who placed a hand on her chest again. "I can spot a conniving bitch when I see one. You spent so much time making sure Garrett was the perfect son that you forgot you had another child! You don't deserve the title of mother, especially after all the shit you told me before!"

The woman gasped, but Riley wasn't done, turning her gaze onto the father. "And these are your sons, not your toy soldiers to do your bidding. They're human beings, who think for themselves and make fucking mistakes. Just because he's not what you think is correct or some shit doesn't give you the right to belittle him for it or think any less about him. He's a much better man than you could ever be."

"And you." She rounded on Garrett now, who met her gaze evenly, as if expecting and accepting anything she had to say. He wasn't necessarily to blame for all of this, and based on his actions so far lead her to believe he wasn't entirely for whatever plan his parents had concocted. Maybe he was the only one worth a damn in this family. For a moment she said nothing, just stared at him, before shaking her head. "For once in your life, think for your fucking self."

With that, she turned to Wrench and crossed her arms. "Can we go now?"

He nodded once without hesitation, before allowing her to grab his hand and drag him back towards the entrance to the house. Wrench knew the way better than her, and after a moment began to lead them.

Riley looked back once, spotting the expressions of Wrench's family.

The father had schooled his face into submission once more, ever the composed and professional gentleman he wanted others to know him as.

The mother was scowling, no doubt recalling the words Riley had spat venomously at her. Ironically, her face looked so much more natural with a scowl, instead of that fake-ass smile she'd maintained since they'd arrived.

Garrett looked thoughtful and surprisingly human. Well chastened, thanks to Riley's rant. Good. She hoped they'd all think a bit about themselves as human beings after today's excursion. Doubtful on the parents' parts, but perhaps she'd gotten through to Garrett.

Wrench was in a hurry to get back to the car, and before long they had tumbled out of the house. Riley was still very much upset, in disbelief over the sort of people he'd had to grow up with as a child. Frown locked in place, she couldn't wait to get away from this house and anything having to do with it.

Funnily enough, the hacker himself was in much brighter spirits. Seeing Riley stick up for him was—he glanced over at her, feeling a spike of emotion shoot through his chest— _fuck,_ was it attractive. The only thing he lamented was the hour long drive back home. His insides felt wound up, and he had a hard time hiding the crotch of his jeans from the brunette. He doubted she'd want to have sex in a stolen car in an unfamiliar city after having just gone through that social nightmare. But damn was he tempted to ask.

He slid into the driver's seat, watching as she followed after on the other side only a moment behind. Her expression was still pinched and upset, but Wrench had never seen her look more beautiful to him.

After a moment, she realized that it probably hadn't been her place to go off on them like that. If anyone had reason to do that, it was Wrench. Maybe she'd stolen the chance for him to get any sort of closure from this experience by dragging him out in her whirlwind of an exit.

"Sorry if I sort of…went too far there. I just couldn't stand mmm-" Riley's sentence was cut short by Wrench's mouth pressing against her own. She hadn't even seen him lift the mask over his head, too distracted by her anger. His fingers dragged backwards through her hair, angling her head how he liked.

Her eyes shut, accepting his kiss eagerly. She didn't even care if the house staff somehow saw what they were doing through the windows, or even his parents. They could all fuck off for all she cared.

She felt more than heard the growl at the back of his throat, shots of pleasure rushing down both of their legs. He squirmed in his seat, wishing for some sort of friction against the quickly-rising tent in his jeans.

"You have no idea…how hot that was…" He mumbled between them after a moment, hot breaths fanning across her face. They were both breathing hard, trying to catch their breaths, hearts beating quickly in their chests.

"Yeah?" She asked breathlessly, mesmerized by his blue eyes, half-lidded with desire.

"Mhmm." He hummed, eyes fluttering down to her lips again. His thumb slid up and pulled her bottom lip down, before releasing it. He was drunk off those lips, could get lost with them. Enough so that he had already forgotten where exactly they were.

Riley wanted to say something mysterious, sexy even. Maybe progress the mood further than it was already going. Unfortunately her stomach chose that moment to let out the loudest, angriest gurgle it could, sending a sharp pain of hunger through her abdomen.

Wrench's eyes closed again, forehead resting on hers to settle himself. Then his mouth split into a grin, despite the interruption to their sexual tension, and chuckled with mirth. "Hungry?"

"Starving." She nodded with a pained expression, apologetic for unintentionally killing the mood, and actual pain from the cramps in her stomach.

He pulled her closer for one last kiss. This one was deep, but quick, a reassurance that he wasn't mad. When he pulled back, he reached up and pulled his mask back into place. The emotes flickered to life after a second, sporting his happy expression. "How about the greasiest place in town?"

She nodded enthusiastically, trying to smooth her hair back into place. It was mussy and wild after the quick make out session. She was eager to get her hands on something fattening and definitely not good for her.

Wrench started the car and drove away from the mansion, hoping never to see it again in his life.


	40. Nature vs. Nurture

Surprisingly, things had pretty much gone back to normal after that stressful day. Wrench didn't talk about the family reunion incident any further than responding to Riley's question of if he was alright.

"Just peachy." He'd replied in a cheery tone, and it sounded genuine enough. The brunette had thought it would garner some other sort of emotion from him; apprehension maybe, from having seen the people he hated after all these years? Maybe anxiety that his parents would track him down? Garrett had threatened to reveal where he was to them if he didn't show up to the house. Maybe since things hadn't turned out how they'd hoped, he'd still follow through.

Riley still didn't feel like that one day was the end of it however, despite Wrench's optimism that his past was now entirely behind him. So saying, she was a bit more prepared for a few days later, when Garrett stepped through the entrance of the garage for the second time. Her eyes locked with his, and he stopped just inside the threshold of the building.

Riley glanced at Wrench, who was working on his newest modification for one of his pistols. He was so preoccupied finishing his thoughts about the movie they had just seen earlier in the day, he didn't notice the change of atmosphere at first.

"…might have been praised for its pacing, but I still don't know what the fuck was actually going on half the time. And, the characters? I've never seen a rehash of a comic character be so cookie-cutter." Riley tuned out what he was saying, watching as Garrett cautiously approached. She wasn't sure what to say.

"What did you think?" He asked suddenly. When she didn't respond, he looked over at her. His mask flashed question marks, confused by her silence, before turning around to see what she was looking at, instantly spotting his brother slowly approaching. The question marks disappeared, replaced with irritated equals signs, and he set the pistol down with a deep sigh.

For a moment all he did was lean against the table with his hands flat, head turned down as if pondering what he should say or do. And then he rapidly reached for the sledgehammer under the table and spun in place, walking towards Garrett with a purpose. A violent purpose.

"Woah, ok. Wrench, wait." Riley stood from her seat and moved to intercept him in the same moment that Garrett took a step back with his hands up, trying not to be provocative. She hadn't anticipated he'd be quite this reactive to seeing his brother again.

"You've got five seconds to get the fuck out or I start swinging." He warned in a growl, angry slashes glaring brightly. Riley gently laid her hands against his chest, hoping he'd back down long enough not to resort to immediate violence.

"I'm only here to talk." The older brother reasoned in an even voice, but Wrench wasn't prone to listen to him. He'd stopped advancing predatorily towards him at the very least, most likely only because Riley was now standing between them. He wasn't about to risk her getting hurt just because he really wanted to do some damage to the man standing before him.

"Talk? What the fuck makes you think I want to talk to you?"

Garrett shook his head. "I just need you to understand…I only briefly saw you in front of the hospital that day, and I mentioned it to mother and father. They saw an opportunity, and instructed me to find you and bring you back. It wasn't ever my desire or intention to have you return to the house."

"I don't care who's idea it was or wasn't." Wrench retorted with venom, letting the sledgehammer head fall to the concrete flooring with a cracking thud. "Why the fuck couldn't you have just left me alone? I was doing just fine before you showed up to drag me back to that shit hole you pricks call a home. To me, it was nothing but a fucking prison!"

The brunette took a step back, letting them face each other. Now that it didn't look like Wrench would use his sledgehammer at any second, she was put a bit more at ease. But she stayed close, just in case.

Eyes narrowed from discomfort, Garrett sighed, running a hand through his hair with regret. Riley couldn't help but think Wrench did the same thing quite often. How peculiar seeing it from his brother too. "I know…I was too young to really understand what was happening but, looking back, I wish I could have done something. For that I'm truly sorry."

Wrench pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. " _No one_ deserves to be treated the way I was. And your sorry is too little too late. Maybe it could have helped me 20 years ago, but what does it matter now?"

Garrett opened his mouth to reply but Wrench beat him to it. "And don't you tell me you fucking understand, because you'll _never_ be able to understand what I went through. You were the fucking 'Golden Child.' The one who could do no fucking wrong." He said with quotations, now beginning to pace back and forth, angry eyes never leaving his brother.

"They put you on a pedestal, gave you everything you could ask for, and made sure you knew you were wanted. You had these expensive vacations and birthdays and shit. You had friends. And you know what I got?" He pointed aggressively to his own chest. "A 10 square foot fucking cell disguised as my bedroom. I got homeschooled because the other kids couldn't look at my fucking face without laughing, and then they treated it like I wasn't ever going to amount to anything.

"I had a shitty life wondering if my own family actually loved me, because nobody seemed to act like they did. You all avoided me like the plague because of something I couldn't take away or control. And I couldn't tell you the last time I heard either one of them tell me they loved me, or were proud of me, or any of that shit. I couldn't even be around my own fucking brother because I was a 'problem' or a 'bad influence!'

"So don't you come in here looking for my fucking forgiveness, because you all lost that opportunity the second I escaped that shitty place. I couldn't care less if you can't sleep at night because you feel guilty for doing nothing. For all I care, you fucking deserve to feel that way after everything I had to go through!""

Both Riley and Garrett were speechless through a heavy, tense silence as Wrench finished his rant breathlessly, walking back to his table with the sledgehammer in hand. It dragged along the ground with a hollow scratch, until he propped it back up against the wood.

Riley was near tears, hearing how much it affected Wrench from his own mouth. He might try to act like he didn't care, but he wouldn't be so angry about it like this if that were the case. It still left wakes of pain and emotional turmoil even to this day, but he tried to hide it. Maybe even deny it was even there.

Garrett took the tirade bravely, eyes downcast as he let Wrench have his say. His voice was surprisingly even despite Wrench's obvious anger towards him. "I don't expect your forgiveness. I never did."

"…" Wrench said nothing, arms tense as he gripped the edge of the table. He didn't bother turning to look at his brother again, too angry to ensure he wouldn't start something physical if he did.

Garrett continued, despite the silence. "That's not why I came here anyway. I didn't lie to you when I said I wanted to get to know the brother I never really had. You were this mystery to me for sixteen years. Almost a ghost. Kids learn to follow rules, so when they restricted me from seeing you I just…followed instructions. It wasn't from any intention to actively shun you."

Wrench snorted derisively. His brother ignored that.

"I guess I just want you to know that I didn't turn out like our parents. And I never hated you."

"Can't exactly say the same about you…" The hacker muttered darkly.

As if pretending he hadn't heard his remark, Garrett continued with a small smile. "Truthfully, I'm impressed with the life you've set up for yourself. I mean, you started from the bottom and look where you are now. A garage full of projects, the means to do what you want to do whenever you want, a lovely and…fiery partner…" he gestured to Riley with a pointed twinkle in his eyes. She gave a small, slanted smile, knowing the exact conversation he was referencing. "I don't see what more you could ask for."

Still, Wrench remained silent, but he did glance at Riley when she was mentioned. His expression was neutral. At least he was still listening.

Riley watched as Garrett smirked and scratched the back of his head. "And if I'm being honest, I sort of envy everything you've got."

"Bullshit." Wrench finally said, whirling in place. "You'd never trade your lifestyle for mine."

"Right. Because I just love working a career I never fully wanted to pursue, or marrying a woman I barely know for no other reason than because her family is influential, or stooping to follow my parents' wishes no matter if they conflict with mine or not." The older brother raised a brow, and surprisingly, the younger man had nothing to say to that. "You know, just because I'm rich doesn't mean I don't have problems and regrets like everyone else, Damien."

"I know that." Wrench's angry slashes returned, and he shook his head. "And that's not my fucking name."

"Right, sorry. I'll try to work on that." Garrett promised, shuffling his feet awkwardly in place. There was a stagnation in the conversation, both brother unsure of what to say next.

Riley finally stepped in, having stayed out of the conversation up to that point to let them vent their thoughts. "Things didn't exactly go as planned the other day…so, do they know where Wrench is now?"

Garrett turned to her and shook his head adamantly. "Oh, no, no. I never had any intention of actually telling them."

"So why the fuck did you demand I go over in the first place?" Wrench asked suspiciously, crossing his arms.

"It was an order from Father. I couldn't exactly refuse." He said evenly, locking gazes with his younger sibling. They held the stare for several seconds, before Wrench sighed and nodded slowly.

"Right…" He admitted without spite. Riley had a feeling she was missing an important part of the understanding going between them. Perhaps there was something fundamental about their father's personality that Riley wouldn't ever be able to quite grasp that these two knew intimately.

Garrett straightened his posture, offering Wrench a apologetic smile. "All in all, just know that I'm on your side. I hope you find the most happiness you can with the people you're with now. I know I don't deserve to be in your life, but if you ever decide you do want to reconnect, if you do want to have a brother, I'll be waiting."

He paused, as if contemplating the offer, before Wrench switched back to his mood from before. "I'm done talking. Get out before I change my mind about caving in your kneecaps."

The older brother nodded sagely and took several steps back, but did turn back to say something else. "And you won't have to worry about them ever finding you. I'll lie, tell them you picked up and moved out of state after that encounter. My advice, though? Be a bit more careful moving out in the open around the city. Knowing them, they may still try to track you down."

The hacker didn't bother replying, simply watched his brother back up a few more paces.

"And if they ever come close to finding you, I'll make sure you know."

"…" Wrench's mask displayed three dots on either side, then shrugged. "…thanks…" There was an awkward pause between them, before the hacker stood straight with a glare. "Now get the hell out of here already."

Garrett nodded again, taking in Wrench one last time before turning and walking out the garage door. He disappeared from sight, and Wrench hoped he'd never seen him again.

The hacker gave a hearty sigh, and rubbed at his forehead in frustration. Even he was surprised with himself for remaining so civil during that exchange. Well, after the anger-fueled rant of course. But he hadn't resorted to bashing his brother's face in so…credit where credit is due. Riley approached closer, trying to gauge his mood.

"So…maybe he's not as bad as you thought he was?" Riley offered up, watching as he shook his head.

"I don't know…" He muttered. "And I don't care. Even if he is, I'm not willing to trust him enough to find out for sure."

Well, she supposed she couldn't quite argue against that. His trust in anyone from his past was sure to be shot to hell and irreparable. Still, Garrett had genuinely seemed to want to get to know Wrench personally, unlike his parents. It was a shame things turned out how they did. Riley thought that Garrett would have tried to apologize and rectify his mistakes, had he the chance to do so.

"If I never have to see those fuckers again, it'll be too soon." He said, wandering off to find another beer most likely. It may have only been 3 in the afternoon, but that surely wasn't going to stop him.

Riley watched him go, sighing inaudibly. Well, at least he was getting some sort of closure here. She'd support whichever decision he made. As long as he was happy, then she was happy too.

* * *

 

There was something about shaking up one's routine that always seemed to fill her with a sense of adventure. Sure, deciding to walk to the nearest coffee shop wasn't exactly the most exciting thing she's ever done, but Riley was bored. Wrench had passed out at the garage after Garrett had left through a mixture of emotional drainage and several cans of beer, and she wasn't at all tired enough to join him on the couch. Leaving her with nothing to do on a Wednesday afternoon.

Her stomach had growled something fierce though, filled only somewhat earlier that morning with half-stale pizza Wrench had leftover in his mini fridge. She could use a hot scone or something, maybe with a hot chocolate. The weather was beginning to stabilize into lower temperatures each day. The brunette was forced to zip her jacket up a bit higher as she walked, stuffing her hands in her pockets for warmth.

Thanks to the chillier temperature, there weren't too many people on the sidewalks today, either preferring to travel by car or public transit. It wasn't a nightmare dodging people or getting stuck behind slow walkers. Thank goodness, because she didn't want to spend any more time out here than she had to.

She pushed into the local coffee shop, the bell at the door jingling to signify her entrance. The heater inside immediately washed a wave of hot air over her, and she relaxed into the new environment. So warm. So, blissfully warm.

Another two people were in line before her, and she sighed. Well, it wasn't all that bad. She spent the time waiting to look for what she wanted. The menu propped up high on the wall behind the counter looked handwritten, giving it that homey, down-to-earth sort of locale. It was pretty nice.

Riley had already made up her mind about what she wanted by the time the next person started their order, and the brunette let her eyes wander around the little shop. The walls were mainly earth tones, highlights of red and orange along the edges.

Small booths lined the walls, and circular tables were scattered about the rest of the open space. People were dotted haphazardly around the room, each taking up a space to give them a bit of privacy from the rest.

One head in particular caught her eye. Long, black hair, and a small frame. The woman was hunched over a laptop, typing away with a cup of coffee sitting on the table beside it. Riley's eyes narrowed…

"I can help whoever's next." The cashier said, garnering her attention. The person before her had apparently finished their order, and it was the brunette's turn. She stepped forward and quietly placed her order, paying and exiting the line so the next person could go.

She looked towards the black haired woman again, suddenly recognizing her. Maybe it was presumptuous of her to approach so openly, but she was surprised to see her again.

"Bailey?" The brunette asked, and the girl looked up.

She peered into Riley's face, then perked up. "Oh, it's you! Hi!"

She shut her laptop and hopped out of her seat, throwing her arms around her neck in a fierce hug. "Uh, yeah, it's me." Riley accepted it with surprise, not having expected this sort of greeting. "How are you doing?" She asked when they separated.

"I'm pretty good, considering." The college student said with a smile, taking her seat again. Riley sat opposite of her, figuring if she'd been hugged by way of greeting, sitting with her wasn't unwelcome. "A lot better since that night for sure. My feet stopped hurting a few days ago, but I've been up and walking for at least a week."

"That's good." Riley said with relief.

"Yeah, it was awful for the days after. Couldn't walk, and then it was painful just standing after that." Bailey winced, no doubt thinking back to the experience.

Riley grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" She tilted her head, confused. "You got me out of there. No need to say sorry. Sure, we might've gotten hurt but hey, that's better than what some of the other girls went through."

Her curiosity was piqued. "Really? What happened to the rest of them?"

Truthfully, she hadn't given them much thought. Her only pressing matter was getting herself out with the incriminating evidence of the sorority. Hmm. Did that make Riley a bad person?

"Really? You didn't know?" Bailey shook her head slowly. "Most were able to find their way back after awhile, but two girls were reported missing by their families the next morning. I guess they weren't found for another day or so, and both had hypothermia. Starving and without water for so long, must've been awful…"

That did sound pretty bad. "Are they doing ok now?"

"Yeah, they were released a few days ago I think. Neither of them reported the sorority though." She replied, finishing with a sip of her coffee. "People can be so stupid. What sort of idiot would risk their life for a sorority house like that? According to the rules of the game, they wouldn't have been accepted anyway."

The brunette felt her lip twitch. "Well, we were both in that group too, though I personally knew full well it was hazing so…I think that makes me twice the idiot of the rest of them."

Bailey's eyebrows rose, and she waved away her comments. "Shit, that came out wrong. But…I suppose I was pretty stupid too for thinking it was a good idea. I mean…surely there were some warning signs beforehand. Maybe I was just blind. And you had a legit reason!"

Riley shrugged. "Nah, my friend and I did a lot of research beforehand. They hid what they were doing well. You couldn't have known."

"I guess that's a bit relieving."

"Riley?" They both heard the coffee worker call, holding a plate of her food and a tall, white cup of something warm.

"Be right back." The brunette said, holding up a finger and sliding out of the booth. She retrieved her food and went right back to where Bailey was sitting. The smell of the signature sandwich was mouthwatering.

"God, that smells really good." Bailey commented, reading her mind somehow. "Now I want one."

"Go get one, then." Riley encouraged, nearly laughing when she pouted.

"I'm sort of too lazy to get up. And I'm trying to save money. I don't get paid until Monday."

"Pff. I'll get you one." The brunette said, but Bailey frowned comically.

"You sit back down. No! Get back here!" She tried grabbing her wrist but Riley was already out of the seat, grinning at her refusal.

"Too bad!" She said, approaching the counter again and ordering another sandwich for her friend. Her friend. Huh. Still a strange concept to have someone she knew outside of DedSec. The hacker group had become her life the past few months. Having an acquaintance outside of the loop was something to behold.

Riley put in an order for another sandwich before returning to her seat, grinning at the pouty expression her friend sported.

"How am I supposed to repay you if you keep doing things for me?" The black haired woman asked, crossing her arms. "That's not fair."

"Life's not fair. Deal with it." Riley teased, sticking out her tongue mockingly. They both shared a laugh, before Bailey looked down at her laptop again.

A heavy sigh passed her lips. "Jeez, I'm never gonna get this paper done."

"What's it about?" Riley took the time to sip at her drink, reveling in the warmth that flowed through her body as it traveled down her throat. Bailey gave her a blank look.

"Weather patterns in California and how they've changed over time. I need to use facts from certified sources, _and_ include information from two different interviews with professionals in the business. Ugh."

"Sounds fun?" Riley ventured, not really meaning it.

"More like tedious. This is the type of stuff I'd expect for a thesis or something. Not a midterm assignment." Bailey bemoaned, tapping a few keys before closing the screen and letting out a huff. "This thing is kicking my ass."

"Well, I'd offer to help, but I'm fairly certain I'm not a professional in meteorology, and that's about the only thing that would be useful to you." Riley shrugged, honestly wishing she could help but not sure how. This one was out of her reach.

The black-haired woman shook her head, smiling slightly. "You're fine, I just need to stop distracting myself honestly. I've been poring over this for two days and I'll I've gotten is three pages done."

Riley continued talking to her while eating her meal, going over how her schooling was, and if Riley had recovered alright from the hazing. At some point, the waitress brought over Bailey's sandwich, which was eaten in record time. The college student must have been starving.

Talk was surprisingly easy too, despite the two meeting in strange circumstances. The brunette had been worried that conversation would stagnate, seeing as they barely knew anything about each other, when it really came down to it. But Bailey was inquisitive and friendly, and liked asking lots of questions.

"So, you and your friend," she asked in a hushed tone, leaning forward in her seat with an anticipatory smile, "are you guys like that one group? DedSec, or something?"

Perhaps _too_ many questions.

"Uhh…" It honestly caught her off guard, and Riley floundered for a second, trying to come up with an explanation for why they'd been investigating the sorority.

"Oh, wait! Don't tell me." Bailey rushed with wide eyes, waving her hands to stop anything Riley had been about to say. "If you're part of something like that, it's better I not know, huh? All the secrecy and whatnot. Jeez, I don't know when to keep my mouth shut."

Riley only smiled, appreciating her understanding. She was sure Bailey wouldn't go telling everybody that she knew somebody who worked in DedSec if Riley confirmed it, but better to keep as few people as possible aware of the fact. Just to be safe.

"Let's just say…the work that I do, with the people I'm with…" She paused, trying to make her answer as vague as possible, "we have the public's best interests in mind."

"Ooh. Sounds all secret-agent like." The college student grinned.

Riley chuckled. "That's what I thought too!"

The topic shifted to something not quite as risky, and before long, Riley noticed the black-haired woman kept glancing at the clock on the wall.

"I should get out of here, and it looks like you've got somewhere else to be." The hacker offered. Bailey shrugged.

"Well, I've got a class in about an hour, and I should probably do a bit of studying beforehand. So, as much as I've had fun talking to you, I'd better go." The woman admitted, gathering all of her stuff together before standing from the table.

Riley made to stand, but Bailey had another thought. "Oh, let's exchange numbers. I finally have a person I can talk to easily. And I meant what I said that night. I'm totally down to hang out anytime. Well…when I'm not up to my neck in textbooks, that is." The student finished with a slanted smile.

"Sure, alright." The brunette agreed, pulling out her own phone. They exchanged digits, before walking out the door together.

"See you around, Riley! Text me when you have a day off from saving the world or something!" Bailey called back when they parted ways, waving a goodbye.

"Sounds good!" She said, smiling. The college student turned and began walking towards the nearest bus stop, while the brunette faced the opposite direction, intending to return to Wrench's garage. There was a possibility he was awake by now, and maybe wondering where she'd gone.

Today hadn't been so bad after all.


	41. Happy Belated Birthday

Anticipation stirring in Riley's gut, she sauntered up to the alley for Wrench's garage, hearing the loud rock music even from outside. She gripped her bag a little tighter and bit back another wide smile. She was dressed in something a little fancier—and, dare she say, a little more risqué—than what she was used to. But, it was a special occasion, she supposed. She had a reason for it.

It was her birthday, and she was eager to spend the night with Wrench. Of course, he'd promised to have something special planned for her the week before since she hadn't had any plan or clue as to what she wanted to do, but he hadn't given her any clue as to what he had in mind. The anticipation had been killing her all afternoon, but she'd refrained from texting him, wanting it all to be a surprise. He'd done so well for their first real date, that she wanted to give him the same room to work his magic again for her birthday.

Still, unable to sit at home, and with it being already 9 at night, the sky black and inky now that the sun was gone, Riley hadn't been able to take it anymore and had decided to show up to his garage to see what he had planned for her.

Gripping the handle of the door, she sauntered her way inside, making sure to give her hips an extra sway just in case Wrench happened to be looking her way as she entered. Maybe give him a little preview of what she-

Oh.

The smile was wiped from her face, spotting the massive stack of empty and partially crushed beer cans on the floor by the couch. She spotted an arm slung over the side of the couch belonging to the masked hacker himself, lying limp and dangling there. Careful not to step on any of the cans, she made her way to the front of the couch to see the scene better.

Sure enough, both Wrench and Marcus were passed out on the couch, obviously the beer had been too much for them. They snored nasally, puncturing the garage with long drags of breath. Wrench had his mask sitting on the couch beside him and Riley picked it up idly, staring into the eye slots where his emoticons would always appear.

Had he simply forgotten about her birthday, or perhaps he didn't care? Maybe he hadn't wanted to spend the day with her after all? If that were the case, why would he promise to plan something special for her? So the more likely option was that it had simply slipped his mind. But, honestly it didn't really matter how innocent of a mistake it might have been.

To say Riley was pissed was a severe understatement. She'd taken the time to get herself ready for a nice night with her boyfriend, doing all of the necessary self-care things needed for something…a little more after their birthday date together. It was the first time she would have offered up such a suggestion, encouraged by the special occasion and by the closeness of their 6-month anniversary of their relationship. Riley didn't really believe in celebrating the milestones in between the full year marks, but she supposed it was still significant in some way.

And to see the boyfriend in question casually passed out after having what she could see was an apparently very fun night of hanging out with his best friend on her _birthday_ of all nights, Riley couldn't help but feel slighted. Forgotten. Neglectfully ignored. The longer she stared at his sleeping form, the more it just angered her.

Fine. There wasn't any other reason to stay here, besides riling herself up more by having to stare at the heavily sleeping Wrench. She tossed his mask back beside him carelessly and trudged her way back to the side door, not caring how many beer cans she noisily kicked over along the way. It wouldn't have woken them up anyway.

* * *

Wrench stumbled into the hackerspace the next morning, still somewhat fuzzy due to his lingering hangover from the night before. Marcus was only a step behind him, sunglasses in place so the lights of the basement wouldn't blind him. They'd both been lucky not to cause an accident driving the way here. The sun had been so blinding they both swore they'd crash the vehicle.

Sitara stood at her printing machine and looked up at the two arrivals, but his eyes immediately sought out his lovely girlfriend who currently typed away at her laptop from the couch. A happy expression on his mask, he separated from Marcus and wandered over to her, a spring in his step.

"So, watcha workin' on there, my beautiful hacker babe?" He asked curiously with a wink, stooping down to her level to see the screen. Frown still set in place, she gave him a sidelong glance before snapping the laptop shut and sitting up. Confused, he backed up a space as she stood from the seat and walked away.

"Ok, so…not a good nickname?" He called after her, but she only slung her bag further up her shoulder and disappeared behind the stairs to the game shop above. Wrench cocked his head, unsure whether he should go after her or let her cool off from whatever was bothering her. He'd never encountered this particular mood from her before. What was her problem?

Well, if she wasn't in the mood for talking, maybe Sitara was. That female was a hell of a gossiper, and if there was anyone who knew what had Riley's panties in a bunch, it would be her. They'd grown closer over the past few months and she tended to talk about her problems to the only other female around. He sauntered over and pointed towards the stairs.

"So…any idea what that was about?" Question marks appeared on his mask, emphasizing that he had no clue what was going on.

Sitara looked unamused, pissed off even, and crossed her arms. "Yeah. What about _you_?"

"Uhh…" He froze for a second, trying to search through his foggy brain, as if this was some puzzle he knew the solution to. "No? That's why I'm asking."

The artist shook her head and rolled her eyes. "She's pissed because you forgot her birthday."

Wrench cocked his head, even more confused. "It's not until the 19th."

"No, dumbass. It's the 14th." Sitara corrected with an attitude, clearly unamused by his ignorance. "Which was _yesterday_."

It was as if the Red Sea had parted to reveal the answer to his question, and Wrench's mask cleared into two wide circles. He stood straighter, as if the involuntary defensive reflex would somehow help against the shame that washed over him.

No wonder she hadn't responded to any of his texts that morning. And he'd been too wasted with Marcus the night before to think about texting her while they had hung out. Then again, she hadn't reached out to him at all but…shit. He forgot her birthday? That was like…rule number one of the boyfriend code!

"So you've got some hella explaining to do if you're gonna get on her good side again." Sitara continued, still flaunting her disappointment and irritated expression. He'd nearly forgotten that females got pissed in packs. As soon as one was slighted, they all were, once the drama was out. "I wouldn't keep her waiting, to be honest."

"God damnit…" He muttered, already taking the steps two at a time up the stairs to the game shop. Hopefully she was still there if he was lucky.

No such luck. Riley had already left by the time he got up to the building, and she was nowhere to be seen even when he checked both ways on the sidewalk outside. Gone. Fuck. He pulled out his phone and called her, hoping she wouldn't hate him too much for doing this by phone.

 _"_ _Yeah?"_ Was her monotone reply when she finally picked up. Not her usual cheerful greeting he normally received. Yeah, he was definitely on her shit list today.

"So, uh…I'm so sorry about yesterday. I completely spaced your birthday, I thought it was on the 19th! I was planning something for you and everything-"

 _"_ _Wrench, I specifically told you a few days before what the date was. You told me you'd take care of it. It took me like two hours just to get ready and then I go over there to find you and Marcus passed out in the garage? Is it unreasonable of me to be a little pissed off right now?"_ Well, she certainly sounded like she was. And now that she spelled it out, he could see why she was.

"No, it's not and I know…" He said, but she interrupted again.

_"_ _Just leave me alone for awhile, ok? I don't really want to talk right now."_

And with that the call ended. Wrench held the phone up to his face to see the screen, in slight disbelief that she'd just…hung up on him. His kind-hearted Riley was being so cold to him, and he didn't quite know how to handle it. She understood that she'd be mad but…was this really necessary?

Shaking his head, both because he was pissed at himself and because he wished Riley would just listen to him about this, he turned around and walked back towards the hackerspace.

* * *

Riley stared up at the ceiling from her position on her couch, unable to shake the irritation that Wrench's carelessness had caused. It should just be some simple, stupid thing that the brunette could forgive easily, but for whatever reason the anger still stuck with her. It wasn't even that big of a deal, when she thought about it. It was just a birthday. They could celebrate it a few days late. It wasn't the end of the world. But the fact that he'd just forgotten and she'd spent so much time in anticipation just to be let down wasn't easy for her to let go.

She'd been looking forward to an actual fun birthday this year. Last year's had been spent staking out some warehouse where a supposed drug deal between major corporation figures was to take place. That had turned out to be a bust and she'd spent hours sitting in a parking lot in the middle of the night waiting for something that would never even happen. And by the time she called it quits, she'd been too tired to even care about buying herself a birthday cake on the way home.

So much for turning 23. It came and went without fanfare or celebration. Just another day on the job.

So it went without saying that she'd expected this year's to be enjoyable. Her DedSec friends were a zany bunch to begin with. But Sitara and Josh had been the only two to even remember that it was yesterday. They'd wished her a happy birthday in private, at Lexi's request, because she truthfully just wanted to spend the day with Wrench.

The disappointment just stung too deeply to let go without mulling on it a while longer. Maybe that made her a bitch, but the brunette was too upset to care. She deserved to feel angry every once in a while.

* * *

It felt…tense in the hackerspace. Not only did it lack a brunette presence he'd come to enjoy having around all the time, but the only other female in the room was also pissed at him on her behalf. He could feel Sitara burning a hole in his back every time he wandered anywhere else besides his Wrench Bench. As if his own guilt wasn't already doing enough to make him feel bad about this.

Riley still had yet to talk to him, and it was midday. She hadn't made an appearance to the hackerspace either, maybe ignoring him or avoiding him. Ok, sure he deserved her anger for forgetting her birthday, but a part of him was irritated by how long it was taking her to even talk to him again. This was getting ridiculous and was bordering on petty.

Marcus was away for the afternoon too, checking up on a lead that Ray had uncovered in the Galilei hack. Wrench had wanted to go with, but it really only required one person since they weren't even sure what they were going to find.

So Wrench was stuck in the graffitied basement of the game store, sulking on his loneliness and slowing growing more frustrated with his girlfriend's behavior as time went on. At this rate, he'd have more reason than her for being angry.

"Hey Josh, run this picture through your database and see if you can find out who he is. Focus on Asian colleges or graduate programs." Sitara said, coming up to stand beside him. Wrench heard what she said from across the way and came to investigate what was going on.

"Should just take a second." Josh took the picture from the artist and scanned it into his computer, holding it out for her to take back, but Wrench snatched it out of his hands before she could get to it.

"What're we looking this guy up for? Have you discovered a new genre of bondage porn?" He inquired, noticing the bloody nose and zip-tied hands, but she only rolled her eyes.

"Marcus found him in the Shu's shipping container. They smuggled him in, complete with an expensive luxury suite on the inside. He's got to have some sort of value for them to have used such resources just to get him over here." She explained, cocking a hip and placing a hand on it. She snatched the photo back from him and placed it in her pocket.

"Got him." Josh said, eyes already scanning the contents of his profile. "Marcus was right. He is very well educated."

Sitara read his profile over Josh's shoulder before patching through to Marcus on the comms again. "Marcus, I found your guy."

_"_ _Whatchu got?"_

"Graduate of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He's got a double Masters in Statistics and Business…" She quoted from the file, scanning lower to his credentials. She put two and two together fairly quickly. "He's a quant."

_"_ _They definitely need him to number crunch that Stock Market data, which means the Auntie Shu boys are in the business of insider trading."_

A small grin grew on the hacker's face, and she rubbed at her chin thoughtfully. "I have a contact in Chinatown who's connected to the Auntie Shu boys. I'm sending you his coordinates. Maybe he can help you get some answers."

_"_ _Got it. I'll keep you posted."_

The comms disconnected and the three hackers broke apart. Sitara's curiosity temporarily distracted her from the irritation she was feeling towards Wrench. But when he spoke again she was reminded of his own idiocy once again.

"You're not giving Marcus all the fun missions again, are you?" He pleaded in a sad tone, and she shrugged.

"You're not off the hook with me just yet. Make it up to Riley and maybe I'll let you blow something up today." With that, she walked back to her art station.

* * *

 _"_ _Alright, would you like the good news or…ahh…the bad news first?"_ Marcus asked with a hiss over the comms, and Sitara sighed.

"Please tell me you found _something_ at the safehouse."

_"_ _Well, these maps and charts I found in their safe definitely pinpoint a floating server farm out in the middle of the ocean. Auntie Shu's base of operations for the Stock Market hack if I were to take a guess."_

The hacker smiled. "Well, it's a start. We'll have to see if we can use the satellites to figure out how to go from here. Now, what's the bad news?"

_"_ _There is a 100% chance that I sprained and or broke my ankle while getting these documents. Fuck…that hurts!"_

"Damnit, are you out of there?" Sitara went into worry mode, ready to pull out her laptop and start hacking if it gave Marcus a better chance of getting to safety.

 _"_ _Yeah, grabbed a car out. On the way to the hospital to see if they can take a look at it."_ He hissed again, holding back another curse from the pain. _"You'll probably have to have Wrench do the rest of this op. I'll be down and out for several days at the least."_

Sitara glanced over at the hacker in question, who was moping and grumbling over at his Wrench Bench. His mood was slowly souring the longer Riley gave him the cold shoulder. She could use this as an excuse to get him out of the hackerspace. Wrench was bringing the atmosphere down a major notch, and Sitara figured it was time the couple made up. It _had_ been just an honest mistake, no matter how much shit she was giving Wrench for it.

"Alright, I'll take care of it. Just…get better, ok?" She tried not to let the worry seep through the comms too much.

 _"_ _Don't worry about me, girl. I'll be back at it in no time."_ He said, reading her mind. There was a buzz on her phone a moment later. " _I just sent over the maps. Have Wrench take a look."_

She disconnected with Marcus and stood from her printing machine. With a sigh, she pulled up the files Marcus had sent and went over to talk to the masked hacker.

* * *

Riley threw her car into park and grabbed her laptop, getting out of her car and slamming the door behind her. The lighthouse had a lot of visitors today, and she blended in well with her sunglass, crop-top, and shorts. San Francisco was in the middle of a heat wave, and most tourists were dressed in the absolute minimum required to stay decent.

"I'm here." Riley relayed over the comm system. She was still sort of pissed at Wrench, but she wouldn't let her sour mood get in the way of the operation. Right now all she wanted to talk about was the barge and anything to do with it.

 _"_ _I'm almost to the dock."_ Wrench said, obviously disappointed that she wasn't in her usual cheery mood. But he wisely said nothing about it. _"Did you get the coordinates I sent you?"_

"Yeah. I should be able to find the barge without too much trouble." She replied, crossing the wooden bridge to get to the lighthouse itself. She was already inspecting the building, trying to figure out a way to get to the top. Visitors weren't permitted up that high. Damn. With all these witnesses too, it wasn't going to be easy.

 _"…"_ There was a silence on the comms. Quite strange, considering Wrench's normal personality. Riley missed it. But she was also still upset with him. He had yet to try to make all of this up to her, after all. No effort on his part. Hmph.

 _"…_ _you're still mad about the whole birthday thing, aren't you?"_ He finally questioned in exasperation.

"Yup." She said simply, circling the lighthouse building to try to find a way up. They did a good job of discouraging climbers. Not too many places to climb up at all.

_"_ _I said I was sorry. I can't go back and change it all. Besides, it's not like I'd get upset if you forgot my birthday or something!"_

"That's because I know when your birthday is. April 4th, not April 1st as you like to claim." She stated in a deadpan. "So your argument really doesn't matter because it wouldn't happen."

 _"_ _Oh come on. You're just being like this to be petty now."_ He complained.

"Maybe. I don't know. Yet you still haven't made it up to me, have you?" She glanced around for any possible spectators to what she was about to do, before grabbing onto one of the large pipes against the side of the building and pulled herself upwards. It was the only way she could see to proceed.

 _"_ _Ugh, if I didn't like you so much I'd really hate you."_ He grumbled, just loud enough for her to hear.

Riley couldn't help the little upwards twitch at the corners of her mouth. Despite her sour mood towards him, he was still adorable as ever. She tried not to be too hard on him, but she wanted him to redeem himself for not putting her as the first priority. Just this once.

"At least I'm talking to you now though, right?" She offered.

_"_ _It's not the same…you've been so distant."_

"I'm sure you'll get over it."

There was more silence over the comms, and Riley focused on making her way up the ladder to the actual lighthouse itself. She made it in no time—it honestly wasn't really all that high—and took a seat at the very front. Grabbing her laptop from the bag on her back, she opened it up and got to work.

She patched into the group comms to keep everyone in the loop. "Alright, thanks to Ray's protocols, I'm in the satellites."

 _"_ _So, what's the plan?"_ Sitara asked, leaving the answer up to anyone who had one.

Marcus, predictably, took the reins from there. Despite being stuck at home, confined to bed, he was determined to help out how he could. _"If I read those blueprints right, there should be cameras you can hack into, Riley."_

 _"_ _Then what?"_ Sitara asked again, not quite seeing what they expected to do.

"We hack the shit out of it. Whatever I can get my hands on, that is." Riley said with a grin, already hopping satellites to pinpoint the barge's location. She zoomed in and spotted what she thought the correct one was, targeting it with her own code.

 _"_ _That's crazy…I love it."_ The female hacker responded with, no doubt smiling a wicked smile of her own back at the hackerspace.

_"_ _We need that main server. But we'll have to bring it closer in order to get our hands on it. Think you can do it, Riley?"_

"Do you even have to ask?"

With one last tap of her key, she was granted a look on the inside of the barge. A man stood in front of several screens, monitoring whatever data he was supposed to. Everything was made of metal, by the looks of it, but it was much more spacious than what she was expecting.

 _"_ _Don't keep us in suspense…what do you see?"_ Wrench begged, his curiosity winning out over his bad mood.

"This thing is no joke. Top-of-the-line hardware, upgraded security measures, an admin terminal too. I'll need to find the credentials to get into that."

Ignoring Wrench's mumble about not getting any of the fun missions, she focused on trying to find another camera to hack, wanting to get a better view of the barge and what was inside. The camera she'd first hacked didn't offer a lot of resources at her disposal. She spotted a string of coding off to the side, in range of the camera's view, and she hacked into that.

Her point of view switched to nearly the floor, and she discovered they had a portable little bot, similar to those that DedSec used to do mobile hacking.

"Huh. Looks like they've got a few toys of their own." She mentioned absentmindedly.

 _"_ _Josh toys? Or…Sitara…toys?"_ Wrench asked, trying to slip his usual lighthearted humor into the conversation. Riley suspected he was hoping it would soften her up a bit. He'd have to try a little harder than that though.

"Well, the kind that needs batteries, and that you can control remotely." Riley said vaguely, not giving Wrench the satisfaction of knowing for sure.

_"_ _Now you're just playing with me. Not cool."_

Riley smirked, using the little bot to navigate around the barge. She tried to make it's movements as inconspicuous as possible. It dodged around walking crewmen and skirted along the edges of the walls. If they spotted it and got suspicious, she doubted there was another on board she could hack into.

One crewman in particular looked important, and she drove the little bot right behind the oblivious man. With a few codes, she hacked into the man's phone with ease. The bot picked up the code of the log-in needed for the admin terminal. Nice.

"Alright, I've got the log-in info." She reported, already moving back to where the admin terminal was.

 _"_ _Crack open that bad boy and play it like a fiddle."_ Sitara encouraged with enthusiasm.

The little bot weaved through legs, back and forth, across the metal hallway and finally reached the terminal by accessing the vent system. It fell down in front of the computer, and Riley started the hacking process as the long arm inserted the USB. Within several minutes, she had her hands on what she needed.

"Ok, pretty sure I can access the barge's systems now." She announced, flicking her wrist and hitting the enter key to prompt the code break. Perfect. Riley felt good, knowing she was being a valuable asset to the team right now. It made her smile.

_"_ _Any idea how you're bringing the barge closer to shore?"_

"Uhh…hmm. Didn't quite think that one through yet." Riley said, suddenly stuck and at a loss. She couldn't exactly brute-force the navigational auto-pilot controls. Someone would notice in the several hours it would take to get back to San Francisco. That wouldn't work. Nor, she thought with a grin, would posting a threatening message on their screens demanding they return to shore. Damn.

Luckily, Wrench was around with his foolproof plans when they needed them most.

_"_ _You should totally spoof the fuel gauges, make them think they have a leak."_

Yeah. That would do it. That way, they would turn around of their own accord. Of course the anarchist would pick the least destructive way to make this baby turn around. How ironic.

"Good idea." She said, giving credit where credit was due. A few taps and clicks and a small alarm began to go off at the terminal where the man was standing. The man said some things in Chinese that she didn't understand, but from what they were doing, it looked like it had done the trick.

"Looks like that did it. They're turning around and changing course." Riley snapped her laptop closed and stood from the lighthouse deck. Her job here was done.

 _"_ _I'm still in the process of getting us a boat. We can just grab it and go once the barge comes in."_ Wrench said hopefully, almost expecting her to refuse.

"Good. And don't think about leaving me behind if you know what's good for you." She threatened light-heartedly, excited for taking part in this operation. She liked being depended on.

* * *

The barge took about 5 hours to get back to San Francisco Bay, and the sun was close to dipping below the horizon. It still sat about a mile off the shoreline, but it was close enough to get to with relative ease and a water vehicle.

Wrench had procured the two of them a boat earlier in the day, and he'd texted Riley to meet him at the dock. She jumped up from her chair and grabbed her car keys, ready to go. She'd changed from her shorts and crop-top into something a little more practical, since the evening brought with it slightly cooler temperatures as well. No need to go sneaking around the barge half-naked and freezing.

Wrench stood patiently on the wooden dock in front of the boat, turning to look at her when her footsteps echoed on the wood.

"Hey." He said lamely, more to test how she was feeling towards him right now than anything. His mask showed two small circles, watching her closely.

"Hi." She replied shortly without smiling, stepping past him to get on the boat. Behind her, Wrench sighed. Not the response he was hoping for. Oh well.

They didn't speak much after that, Wrench focused on getting them to the barge, and Riley on watching the sun disappear behind the ocean waves. The boat bounced up and down as they went, and Riley had to hold onto the side to keep her still.

The rush of the wind and water at her back felt amazing. She hadn't ever really sailed before, but this feeling…she just might get into the hobby. She wondered how much a boat cost, then remember that it honestly didn't matter now. She could go out and buy herself a boat tomorrow if she wanted to.

Wrench, on his part, was happy that at least Riley wasn't glaring a hole into his back. He'd glanced behind him to see what she was up to while they rode in the boat. She just sat and watched the water. Her side profile was visible, and she looked happy being out on the water. Hmm. He filed that away for later, hoping that he could somehow redeem himself soon. Maybe a day out on the water would improve her feelings towards him. Maybe. He hoped.

It didn't take long to reach the barge, and Wrench began to slow the craft until they came into the side at an easy drift. They both stood and reached out to grab one of the ladders that extended down into the water in case people went overboard. Riley tied a rope around the rungs and kept the boat in place. This was their only way off the boat. Getting stranded on here and sent off into the middle of the ocean wasn't a pleasant thought.

Both hackers started up the ladder, hoping that there wasn't anyone around at the top. Wrench couldn't help but watch the way Riley's ass shifted back and forth as she climbed, and he enjoyed the moment while he could.

"Stop staring at my ass." She said without looking back at him.

Wrench deadpanned, feeling somewhat chastened. He couldn't even look at her without some rebuke.

They made it a few feet from the top of the ladder, and Riley slowed her ascent. She peeked her up just a bit, peering around to see if there was anyone close by. Then, she suddenly ducked down, craning her neck beside her so no part of her body showed.

Wrench said nothing, not wanting to blow their hiding space. In the silence, footsteps right above them walked unhurriedly to the left, finally disappearing from hearing after a tense minute.

Riley dared another look, before silently climbing up the rest of the way and on the deck. She waved Wrench forward too, urging him to hurry.

With both hackers onboard the barge, they hid behind a large vent to get their bearings.

"There's probably hundreds of servers onboard. I'll have to find a terminal and locate which one we're looking for." Riley said, pulling out her phone to see if she could find some cameras to hack.

Wrench didn't seem to have an argument to that, and nodded. "I'll go below desk, see if I can take out a few guards along the way."

"Be careful." She said, eyes glued to the screen, looking for what she needed.

"You too." Wrench spared her one last glance before disappearing around the corner towards where the lower deck entrances were.

* * *

Finding the terminal she needed wasn't the hard part. Getting to it was.

Swiping the admin log-in credentials was a piece of cake. The guy was lounged in a chair in a room with an observation deck on the top level. The important people always made sure they looked important, so it made that part of the task so much easier.

With the log-in information in hand, she hopped cameras to get a general idea of how to get to the terminal itself. She didn't bring an RC bot with her. On a boat, it didn't seem necessary, but now she regretted it.

Occasionally, she caught a glimpse of Wrench stalking the lower halls of the barge, dodging passing security personnel and IT specialists as he got a gist of the layout. Occasionally, he placed small little blocks on the walls. She wasn't sure exactly what they were, but if she were to take a guess, it was probably some form of explosive. Figures. The one idiot who would bring bombs onto a boat. Which could sink. And drown them.

"Are you really planting explosives on a _boat?"_ She hissed in an exasperated whisper through the comms. "We're a mile from the shore!"

 _"_ _We'll be off of this thing before I blow them. Don't worry!"_ He replied nonchalantly, as if there wasn't a problem here.

Riley shook her head. Sometimes this man aggravated her so much. Ugh.

Instead of replying to his strange reasoning, she focused instead on finding the terminal. A much more worthwhile task at the moment. She used the camera access on her phone to help determine when it was safe to proceed without being spotted, so far not running into any trouble.

She grabbed onto the knob of the door and entered the admin room, closing it behind her quietly.

"Alright, I'm at the terminal." She reported quietly, hoping that Wrench still hadn't been spotted. He said nothing, but she was already tapping away at keys, inputting the log-in information to gain full access.

A full console and map popped up on the screen, and she sat in the chair to work more comfortably. She'd been correct. There were hundreds upon hundreds of servers on this barge, all serving their own purposes. She couldn't even begin to imagine how much data this thing contained, or how much of it would be incriminating to one company or another. Oh, what she wouldn't give to be able to examine this place a bit more extensively.

Josh had given her a bit of information to help her identify which server they were looking for, and she compared them all to match up what she could. An automatic program did it for her, thankfully, so all she had to do was sit back and-

The door to the admin room opened, and she whipped her head back in time to see a man entering. He stopped, then shouted something in Chinese and charged at her.

She stood, but wasn't fast enough to stop him from pushing her against the wall forcefully. She tried struggling against him as best she could, but he was strong. Her squirming, however, prevented him from reaching for his radio to inform the rest of the security staff, so it had some sort of purpose.

 _"_ _Riley? What's going on?"_ Wrench asked, no doubt hearing the sounds of struggle through her earpiece.

"Everything's…fine!" She ground out, still pushing back as much as she could against the man. Finally, unable to think of any alternative, she slammed her forehead into the man's face. He cried out and stumbled backward, clutching at his nose. It hurt like a bitch against her own head, but she was sure it would get better soon enough.

The space between them allowed her to whip out the billiard ball weapon and she smacked him once in the head, dropping him soundly against the floor.

 _"_ _Do you need any help? Are you ok?"_ He asked again, a bit worried this time.

"Nope…all…taken care of…" She heaved through panting breaths, hands on her knees as she caught what air she could. That had been a bit more strenuous that she'd intended it to be but he'd been strong. "I don't need your help…all the time, Wrench. I'm not a damsel…in distress."

_"_ _That's not what I was implying…"_

"Then let me…do my damn job."

"…" He said nothing, finally deciding to drop it and continue on with what he was doing.

Riley took another moment to recover, then returned to the terminal. In all the scuffle, the program had found the server, highlighting the string of code and matching it to a location and storage number below deck. "Alright, I've got it. It should be in Section 3, Storage #8369…oh, shit."

_"_ _What?"_

"Well, from the terminal's schematics, this thing is a lot bigger than we first thought."

_"_ _How big, exactly?"_

"Industrial sized. There's no way we're getting it onto the boat. We'd sink in a second." Riley mused aloud. "Hang on, let me patch through to the others, see what they think."

Riley tuned into the group frequency. "Alright, so we've found where the server's at. Only problem is, this thing is way bigger than what we can take on the boat. Any suggestions?"

 _"_ _Damn. There must be a shit ton of goodies in there for us to crack."_ Sitara mentioned.

Josh interrupted her. _"I may have a solution but you'll have to bring it to the top deck. I'll let you know once I have it figured out."_

"Thanks Josh." She said, leaving the group channel. "You still there, Wrench?"

_"_ _Yup, and you know I can't read Chinese. These signs on the wall are pointless to me. How do I get to the right place?"_

Riley rolled her eyes but started navigating through the cameras again. "I just sent the nav to your phone. Check it."

Wrench started to make his way to the storage section of the lower deck, with Riley providing surveillance in the areas he travelled. There didn't appear to be too many people in this part of the barge, thankfully, and before long he'd found the server in question.

 _"_ _Jeez, this thing is big. Whatever Josh has it mind, it's gotta be even bigger or this puppy ain't moving."_ He commented, hacking into a nearby lift machine to move it. _"And, another question…how are we getting this thing topside?"_

"The lower deck should have a service elevator shaft. That should work."

Riley heard a little giggle on his end. " _They say the shaft is a bad mother-"_

"Shut your mouth!" Riley said in amusement.

 _"_ _I'm talkin' about elevator shaft?"_ He said snootily, as if it had been obvious the whole time.

"Whatever. Just get it to the top deck and they'll take care of the rest." Speaking of which, Riley patched into Josh's frequency. "Any word on our solution, Josh?"

_"_ _It's on it's way. About 3 minutes out."_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud alarm blaring through the whole barge, red lights dotted occasionally along the walls glaring brightly. Someone spoke over the intercom system in Chinese, no doubt alerting the crew onboard that something was amiss. Shit.

"Josh, I'm keeping you on our channel, keep us posted about your reinforcements. Wrench, what did you do?" She asked, patching the channels together.

 _"_ _It's probably on a tripwire system! Nothing I could have done."_ He said, and Riley accepted it. Nothing they could do to fix it now. Everyone knew they were here. For now, she figured she was safe inside this room, since dozens of people were running through the halls right now looking for them.

"I'll see what I can do to cause some distraction for you." She said, hopping between the cameras to hack into what she could. Well…detonating Wrench's explosives were always an option, but they were still on the fucking boat. Nope. She wasn't touching that. No need to be part of the second Titanic.

Instead, she burst open steam pipes and vents, causing confusion and disarray up above while Wrench rode the elevator up to the top deck. It was slow going.

"Josh, how're we looking?" Riley asked again.

_"_ _2 minutes out."_

_"_ _I'm up top. Riley, you should get up here now. Don't want to be left behind, do you?"_ Wrench asked, and she shook her head, grabbing the USB from the admin terminal and standing from the chair.

"You'd be dead as soon as I made it back for leaving me behind." She promised.

She peeked out into the hallway, exiting the room once the coast was clear. Wrench would have to figure out the rest on his end from this point. She had to focus on meeting him on the deck without getting shot.

Now that she was inside the barge, everything looked a little different. For a moment, the brunette couldn't remember how'd she'd gotten down here, before spotting a familiar-looking sign and going from there.

In her haste, she ran around a corner to get to a set of stairs, and stopped short when she spotted the two guards holding assault rifles in her direction. They saw her immediately and shouted something in Chinese, aiming the weapons at her. Eyes wide, Riley threw her hands up and cooperated.

"Fuck…" She muttered, more to herself than anything, but Wrench was still on the comms and heard it.

_"_ _More trouble?"_

"You could say that." Was her mumbled reply.

 _"I'm a little preoccupied at the moment, so you're on your own."_ Wrench said, the sound of gunshots audible in both the earpiece and somewhere above her.

The two men approached her slowly, no doubt looking to subdue her. She couldn't reach for her weapons at her back without them shooting her…damnit she was out of options.

Well…maybe. It was not something she wanted to do, but…well, they were two men. Hopefully it would work like it did in the movies.

When they got close enough to almost touch her, Riley reached down and lifted up her shirt and bra, revealing her chest in a flourish. Both men immediately dropped their guards, eyes now focused on her breasts. Ugh. This felt dirty.

Before they could fully understand why she was flashing them, she grabbed the closest assault rifle and slammed it into the man's face, knocking him to the ground. The second man tried to bring up his weapon, but Riley got right into his personal space, rendering it useless, and knocked it out of his hands. She kicked him in the groin just to finish things off, pulling her shirt and bra back down as he collapsed to the floor in a mess of pain.

She wasn't going to stick around and wait for one of them to recover, so she sprinted down the hallway. All she could think of was that at least Wrench hadn't seen it. She honestly sure what he'd do if he knew two strangers had seen her breasts before he did. She couldn't help but smile, almost wanting to find out.

 _"_ _1 minute out."_ Josh reminded them over the comms, and Riley picked up her pace.

The sky finally came into view, and she hurried along to where Wrench was waiting. The top-deck was a mess of dead or unconscious men. No doubt Wrench's handiwork. He'd sure done a number on most of them.

She jogged over to the server and Wrench, who stood to the side holding his rifle, looking out for any Auntie Shu boys left. "That took way longer than I wanted it to." She said, checking over the server to make sure there wasn't any damage.

"As much as I like to kid around, I wouldn't actually leave you behind." Wrench promised, looking at her over his shoulder to give a wink. Riley grinned, shaking her head.

"I know."

"Anytime now, Josh!" Wrench said, eyeing the ocean for any sign of an incoming craft or the like.

_"_ _I'm 29 seconds away."_

Wrench's mask showed two underscores and he tilted his head. "Really?"

_"_ _What? I like to be punctual."_

The two hackers waited in anticipation for whatever Josh had coming their way. As they stood there, the distinctive sound of 1000 angry bees floated right at the edge of their hearing. The brunette and anarchist shared a confused glance, before the sound became louder and a huge aircraft came into view.

"Holy shit…" Riley muttered, watching as it came closer to their location.

"Is that your drone?" Wrench asked in excitement, giddy at the sight of such a magnificent machine.

 _"_ _Surprise!"_ Josh said, pride showing through his voice. " _Custom built for us."_

"That's amazing." The brunette said. As they stood there, the drone lowered a cable down to the server.

_"_ _You'll need to hook it up to the drone and secure it."_

"Already on it." Wrench said, grabbing the cable and finding the best place to attach it to. He climbed on top of the server itself and tugged, just to test out the strength. "We should be good to go."

He held out his hand to Riley. "Ready?"

Swallowing back her hesitation, because this was the only way they were getting off this barge, Riley took Wrench's hand and allowed his to hoist her up onto the server as well. "This thing doesn't look very stable." She said, holding not other cable as well. "Wah!"

The whole thing tilted to the side a bit as they were lifted off the ground. In a panic, she gripped onto both Wrench's vest and the cable in an attempt to keep herself on the server.

"Relax, I won't let you fall." He reassured, wrapping one hand around her waist and holding the cable in the other. Wrench's hoodie was blown off from the wind, exposing his unkempt blonde hair. Riley's own hair whipped around in unruly tendrils.

His happy expression stared down at her, and she smiled up at him. Then, a sobering thought made her sigh heavily.

"Sorry I've been such a bitch today. I was just really disappointed after yesterday."

"Ah, don't be. I get why you were upset. I do still intend to make it up to you." He said with a wink. "And the first thing on that list is buying us dinner."

Riley smiled. "As ironic as this may be…can we get Chinese? I'll call it good if we do."

Wrench looked at her with question marks. "Really? That's all?"

"Yup." Was her honest reply. He still looked confused, because after all of that attitude from before, Chinese food was the perfect solution? It seemed too good to be true. "You couldn't possibly comprehend what Chinese food means to me."

Wrench laughed and shook his head. "I'm still not convinced you're not really genetically Chinese. By now, your blood is probably teriyaki sauce or something."


End file.
